(Never) Alone Part 2: Gemini Rising
by Rollinaround
Summary: Post 3.33: After freeing an entire city from the rule of a cruel and hedonistic despot, Shinji Ikari returns to the AAA Wunder, determined to atone for his mistakes. As Shinji tries to repair old friendships and find his place in the world, he finds himself hounded at every turn by Project Gemini: a sinster NERV bioweapon, out for his blood.
1. Tales From Another Broken Home

Hello everyone and welcome to Evangelion: (Never) Alone Part 2!

Before we begin I want to quickly apologise for the formatting of this chapter. I had to finish this on my phone on the way to work to get it out on time and I never really liked the formatting FF's mobile app. I promise to get it fixed when I return home

If you're new to my work and have decided to start off with this story then I recommend reading the one that came before it: (Never) Alone. It's not vital, as this first chapter will fill you in on the events of (Never) Alone, but it should help you understand what's going on here.

* * *

**Evangelion**

**Gemini Rising**

By Rollinaround

Episode 1

Tales From Another BrokenHome

* * *

"Alright," said Ritsuko, "I'm just going to ask you a few simple questions to confirm your identity." Across from her sat a thin boy in his early teens, beside her; a one-eyed redhead in a skintight plugsuit. "Now, to start off, please state your age and date of birth."

"June 6th, 2001." Shinji said, as Second Lieutenant Suzuhara inspected his wounds, "I'm 14 years old."

"Correct. Now, can you tell me who brought you up?"

"I lived with Yui and Gendo Ikari for the first couple years of my life," he began, "My Mother was absorbed into Unit when I was 3, and my Dad... my Dad abandoned me about a year later." He stared at the floor. It was over a decade ago (from his perspective), but still a painful memory. "After that I moved to Kyoto to live with my Aunt and Uncle. But I wouldn't say they raised me; we almost never talked, or even saw each other."

Ritsuko marked down each of his answers, stoicly, robotically. "Any people close to you? Anyone you might consider a friend, or family?"

"My friends are Kensuke Aida and..." He felt Sakura tighten her grip on him. She'd maintained her bedside manner since he came back onboard, but her warm and friendly demeanor had gone. "I was friends with Touji Suzuhara back in 2015. Misato Katsuragi looked after me during my time as an Eva Pilot, and I had a crush on Rei Ayanami, the real one." He looked over at his former co-pilot. It was hard to tell what Asuka was feeling at any given moment, because she always looked angry. "I was also friends with Asuka Shikinami at the time."

"Alright, one more test." the Doctor said, "Tell me something only we know. Ideally, this should be something from before Third Impact."

Shinji struggled with this one. He hadn't spent much time with Ritsuko, so she couldn't confirm anything he told her, and he'd known Sakura for less than a day. Asuka was his best bet, and only one particular memory stood out in his mind. "The night of the 8th Angel attack, Asuka Shikinami um, slept in the same bedroom as me..." Asuka's face burned red with embarrassment, or rage (he couldn't tell which) "Uh, platonically I mean!"

The Second Child took a deep breath. "You're lucky you caught that, Bratty Shinji." she grumbled. "What he says is true. It's him."

"Thank you Shinji." Ritsuko said, tucking her notebook into her jacket, "That will be all for now. How is he looking Suzuhara?"

"A bit malnourished, but other than that he's mostly unharmed." Sakura replied. "Honestly, it's a miracle he got out alive. There's evidence of lacerations on his right forearm, but they're in really odd positions; they don't look like they were the result of an attack, nor could they be self inflicted."

"Oh those," Shinji said, "I got those a few weeks ago. I, punched through a sheet of metal."

Sakura gave him a very blank stare. "Why?"

"It was training." he explained. "My Sensei wanted to see how hard I could punch."

"How... why- forget it." The Medical Officer threw up her hands. "I don't even want to know." She bowed, and left the room without another word.

"You will explain your actions to the Captain later this evening." Ritsuko said, "Every available man and woman will be there, and the hearing will be broadcast across the world tomorrow morning. The guards will arrive to collect you at 1900 hours tonight. Do you understand?"

"Y- yes Ma'am..." The boy shuddered at the thought of it. Was he being put on trial? Asuka told him Misato was on his side, but a Not Guilty verdict seemed impossible and he dreaded to think what sentence would fit the crime of Omnicide.

"You can relax." Ritsuko said, "WILLE doesn't have the authority to sentence you. Only the United Nations can do that."

"That's not very encouraging."

"You aren't going to be executed Shinji." Ritsuko promised, "The UN isn't about to kill a child, regardless of his actions."

"Thanks." he murmured, "That makes it, a little better."

"The real purpose of this is to let the world hear your side of the story." she explained, "Mankind's feeling towards you are, mixed at best. Depending on what you tell us, you might convince them you're worth another chance."

Shinji doubted it. After everything that happened in the past few months, even he wondered if he deserved another chance.

* * *

"Alright, let's take it from the top," Misato said, looking through the report Asuka had given her. "Captain Shikinami tells me that at roughly 0900 hours on the date of April 17th 2029, you removed the Spears of Longinus from the Lilith against the protests of both Shikinami, and your co-pilot. Is this correct?"

Shinji stood a couple floors below her, seemingly tiny as the men and women of WILLE looked down on him. "It is." he admitted.

"Can you explain why you decided to take the Spears?"

"Yes Mi- Colonel." the boy replied, staring up at the crew above him. They just stared back, regarding him cautiously. "The other Pilot, Kaworu Nagisa, told me that if we had the Spears, we could use Eva 13 to reset the world back to how it was before."

"And you took the word of this boy at face value? Why?" The Colonel couldn't imagine a logical reason.

"Because he was nice to me." Shinji told her.

Misato was incredulous. "Is that it? You couldn't have known him for more than a few days."

"I was lonely, alright?" the boy moaned, "All my other friends were either dead or hated me."

"So why didn't you listen when he told you to stop?"

Shinji looked uncomfortable, like he was struggling to accept the truth. "I was desperate. I wanted make up for what I did, I... I wanted to be forgiven."

Captain Katsuragi rubbed her temple. The things that boy would do for affection. "Let's move on: can you tell us exactly how you survived your suicide attempt the following day."

He shrugged. "I'm not really sure. I just remember seeing a flash of orange light, just before I hit the water. If I had to guess, I think I subconsciously manifested an A.T Field."

"We heard about that." said Misato, "Captain Shikinami claims you gained your powers from the 10th Angel?"

"Zeruel, yes. He said he followed me out of Unit 01. He started talking to me just after Fourth Impact (though I hadn't realized it); said the DSS Choker had been keeping him suppressed."

"That reminds me." Ritsuko chimed in, "What happened to the Choker? Only Captain Katsuragi should have been able to remove it." The boy looked, mournful.

"Kaworu (my co-pilot), he took it off me..."

"That's impossible," Ritsuko insisted, "Nobody without the proper authorization should be able to remove the choker without-" Misato cut her off. Shinji was crying. "I suppose it doesn't matter how. Do you feel you can continue?"

He agreed to carry on, though he didn't look very enthused.

"There's a large gap in the story between your fall and the time when Shikinami found you." the Captain said, "Can you tell us what you were doing during that time?"

"I woke up in the slums of Elysium a little while later. Some people took me in and nursed me back to full health. They knew who I was, but they didn't care. They knew what I'd done, but they didn't hate me for it." The boy stayed calm, but there was more than a hint of bitterness mixed in. "I ended up working on the farm for a little while until, I got involved with Itachi..."

"And?"

He did his best to keep it short. "I went out one night to find his men beating on the other farmers. I tried to stop them, and got myself knocked out. After that, Zeruel spoke to me in a dream, and offered me his power in exchange for letting him into my conscious mind." The crew exchanged nervous looks, and Misato couldn't blame them.

"And you accepted?" she asked him, "Do you realize what you could have done?"

"Of course I do." Shinji replied, "But I was tired of seeing my friends get hurt and not being able to stop it."

The Colonel gritted her teeth. Thinking ahead was never Shinji's strong point but somehow he found a way to keep pushing the envelope again and again when it came to bad decisions. "Alright..." she said, after she counted to twenty, "Then what happened?"

"After that," the child said, "I got into another fight with Itachi's men, after they threatened to kill the the Mayor came down to the slums asked me to work for him. He said he'd hurt my friends if I refused."

"And what did you tell him?"

Shinji didn't even bother to hide the satisfaction on his face. "I threw him across the room, said I'd kill him if he threatened the village again." Misato repressed a smile. After being made to kowtow to Itachi for the better part of a decade, she liked the idea of him getting his ass beat.

"In the middle of all this, I started training with a farmer called Wilson Clarke. He taight me to be a better fighter. A while later, the Mayor cut off the water to the slums until they turned me in. Instead, I went into the main city and crashed the Water Treatment Plant. I almost made it out, until I got tranqued." He stared meaningfully at his old school friend, Kensuke Aida. Kensuke had been working undercover in Elysium, searching for a link between Itachi and NERV, and had been partly responsible for the boy's capture.

"I was kept in prison for I don't know how long." he continued, "Every day they made me fight one of the villagers, until I... I had to fight Mr Clarke and..."

He was beginning to tear up again. "It's alright Shinji." Misato assured him, "I think I understand. Let's finish this up, what happened after the Captain found you?"

Shinji wiped away the tears, but his body was still trembling. "After that, A- Asuka got thrown in prison with me. They made us fight each other the next day but we broke out. I..." He swallowed. He wasn't just sad, now he was frightened. "My body went into a Pseudo Awakened state." The room fell deathly silent.

"Around this time," Ritsuko told him, "The Wunder did battle with a new Evangelion prototype from NERV. We were about to lose until Eva 01 Awakened. I assume you had something to do with this?"

"Probably." the former Pilot said, unable to even look at Katsuragi: the woman who was practically a Mother to him. "Zeruel told me that I could Awaken Unit 01 if I didn't control myself. And towards the end, I just lost it."

The crew were horrified and Misato could not blame them. On the one hand, he'd single handedly saved them from certain death. On the other, he had made himself more dangerous than ever. "Shinji..." she groaned, burying her face in her hand.

Ritsuko, however, remained calm. "And what did you do to Itachi?"

"I chased him down." Shinji recounted, "He tried to leave the city in a helicopter but I cut him off. I beat him almost to death..." He started to breathe heavily, and clenched his fist so hard he almost drew blood. "He begged me to stop but that just... just pissed me off even more! I grabbed the guy and almost fed him into the helicopter blades. I wanted so badly to kill him..."

The Colonel's eyes went wide. She'd never heard him talk that way before. "What stopped you?"

"I, thought of all the friends I lost, everyone who'd died because of my mistakes, and I couldn't do it. I felt like I didn't deserve to take another life." Misato adjusted her hat, hiding her face. She couldn't afford to be seen as soft.

"Is that everything?" she asked him.

"Yes."

Misato was at a loss. What were they going to do with him? "Do you have anything else to say?"

The teen stepped closer. "I know I messed up." he said, "I know I have to take at least some of the blame for Third Impact, and I can't deny the Fourth Impact was my fault. And I am so, so sorry for the people I've hurt. But I'm not a monster! I'm just some stupid kid who lost everyone he loved because he tried to do the right thing. And I shouldn't be scapegoated for something I never even wanted." Shinji choked back his tears. There was sorrow in his voice, and anger, and bitterness, and even guilt and remorse.

"I'm not trying to shift the blame or avoid responsibility..." He said, "I know that I've done terrible things, even if I didn't mean to. I know you're the worlds best hope for stopping my father, and the world is safer if I'm in your custody." He stared up at the woman who, in just a short span of time, had become perhaps the most important person in his life. "And I know there are good people on this ship, people I still care about in spite of how they treated me."

The Captain looked away in shame. Of all the things he could have said, that hurt Misato Katsuragi the most. Being hated for what sge did would be painful. But knowing that he still cared, despite what she did, that was a dagger in her heart.

"That's why I came back." Shinji said, finally, "I want to make things right, I want to help in any way I can. Please, let me help."

Misato looked away in shame. Her crew were silent as the grave. "We will see..." she said, before she let the mask slip. "You may leave now Shinji, we will determine what to do about you soon. Suzuhara?"

The Second Lieutenant bowed, and lead the boy out. Officially, he was under house arrest, held in a room just below the barracks. Fairly mediocre accommodations but better than a cell, and his location would be known only to people she trusted, giving Shinji some much needed safety and privacy. With the hearing ended, she sent her crew back to their posts, while she and Ritsuko returned to the Captain's quarters.

"That could have gone a lot better..." said Misato, nursing a growing headache.

"It could have gone a lot worse." Ritsuko said.

"How do you figure?" the Captain asked, "He openly admitted to letting an Angel into his mind, and remotely awakening Unit 01."

"He also admitted his fault in causing Third Impact, and expressed a desire to help us."

"And how is he supposed to do that now?" Misato shot back. "Any role he might play would need him to interact with the rest of the crew. How do you expect to keep him safe?"

A cunning smile appeared on the Doctor's face as she adjusted her glasses. "Don't worry about that, I've got a few ideas."

* * *

Gendo Ikari sat in the lower levels of NERV HQ, staring up at the giant tube of LCL. In it floated a pale, half-formed humanoid, slowly increasing in size with every passing day. The Project was just the latest in a long line of Artificial Humans, but this one was special.

"Is it ready?" he asked, turning to the Vice Commander.

"Not quite." said Fuyutsuki, "We still need to wait a few more days until we begin work on the final stage of development. We've never attempted to program one of our experiments with a specific personality before, so we don't know what to expect."

"We can afford to wait." the Commander said, "What of the Mass Produced Evangelions?"

"Almost finished." Fuyutsuki replied, "Just ironing out the last few errors left over from the prototype, then they'll be ready for deployment."

"Excellent." Ikari said, leaning back in his chair, watching intently as Project Gemini stirred in it's tube.

* * *

It's good to be back again. I hope you all enjoyed this first chapter in the continuing saga of (Never) Alone.

One of the difficulties with writing a sequel fic to 3.0 is that a lot of the characters actions are left open to interpretation, and when your own interpretation differs fron your reader's, it can be very hard to balance your own vision with what the fans wanted to see.

In this case, a lot of people wanted to see Shinji hate Misato, or in one case, straight up attack her, and personally I couldn't see Shinji doing that. I had initially written Shinji as being more apologetic and blaming himself for everything went wrong but I quickly realized that would be really unsatisfying. In the end I compromised and went with the "killing with kindness" approach, having Shinji still care for Misato despite her poor treatment of him, resulting in her shaming herself.

That's all for now, I look forward to seeing you guys again soon in Chapter 2

-Rollinaround


	2. What Shall We Do Now?

**Evangelion**

**Gemini Rising**

By Rollinaround

Episode 2

What Shall We Do Now?

* * *

Shinji Ikari lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling in a lonely bedroom aboard the AAA Wunder. Not the worst place to spend the war; it was a step up from the brig at least. He had room to move, a small window gave him a view of the outside world, and the Captain had provided him with a few books to keep him occupied, plus Asuka had promised to visit him when she could.

Even with all that, he wondered how long he could stay here before he went stir crazy. It had been three days, and he had not once left the room. The bathroom was ensuite, and all his meals were brought to him, so there was no reason for him to step outside. And so he lay there, under a dim light reading through a book on theoretical biology. It was a difficult book to read; partly because of the advanced science, beyond his education level, and mostly because Zeruel wouldn't shut up.

The Angel was starting to get testy, it had convinved itself that they would be locked away forever, unable to test the limits of their strength. **"How long must we be forced to remain in this hovel?"**

'Until they let us out.' Shinji replied.

**"And if we never get out?"**

The kid closed his eyes, and thought on it. He'd always known it was a possibility. Accident or no, he'd still killed millions of people, and shown he could do it again. 'We'll get out.' he promised, 'Kensuke and Asuka will be looking out for me, and Misato.'

**"You don't sound very sure of yourself." **said Zeruel, **"These people shunned you from the moment you arrived, threatened to kill you if you disobeyed them. You have the potential to become an incredible warrior, and they will try to take that from you."**

'Well, maybe I don't want to be a warrior!' Shinji thought, rolling over on his bed, 'Maybe I don't want to enjoy hurting people, you ever think of that?'

**"You enjoyed hurting Itachi."**

The boy curled up into a ball. 'I know. That's what scares me though. Remember in the water plant when I pounced on that worker, and threatened to beat him if he blew my cover? He hadn't done anything wrong! And I got the same rush from that I did from fighting Itachi and his men. What if I get addicted to it? What if I stop caring about who I fight? What if..."

He had no time to dwell on that idea, as he heard a buzzing outside his room. The door whooshed open, and Shinji was greeted by a red-haired young lady in a pink plugsuit. "Hey Puppy Boy~" said the girl in the doorway, a familar smirk painted on her face.

"Miss Makinami?" said Shinji, opening the door.

"Please, call me Mari." She said, "You don't have to stand on ceremony when you're with me. You lonely?"

Shinji was caught off guard. She was abnormally cheery, given the situation."Um, I guess..."

"Awww, let's fix that." the girl replied, taking the backpack off her shoulders and pulling out half a dozen thermoses. "Thirsty?"

"I am actually." he admitted, "But are you sure it's ok to be here? I heard you're supposed to be training with Asuka, and this seems a little, excessive."

Mari shrugged it off. "Nah, it's fine!" she told him, "The Princess went up to medical for a checkup so I got some time to kill. Besides, now we've got access to Elysium's water plant, we don't have to worry about rationing the stuff." She unscrewed one of the metal cylinders, revealing a pool of golden brown liquid. "Ah, it's been so long since I've had milk tea!"

"You seem to have a real thing for tea..." Shinji said, graciously taking a mug from her.

"You have no idea~" Mari sniggered, "You should see my entry plug, it's always full of green tea bottles by the time I get out. I guess it kinda comes with the territory."

"Territory?" Shinji asked her, "What do you mean?" He tried to think back to all the times he'd met her. His English wasn't great but he did recall her saying something about Europe when they first met. On top of that, despite having a very Japanese name, the girl didn't really look Asian. "Mari, if it's alright to ask, where are you from?"

"Britain." She replied, taking a big swig of her tea. "I'm mixed race: Japanese on my Dad's side, English on my Mum's."

"Oh..." The boy's shoulders sagged, and he felt the sting of guilt once more.

"What's wrong?"

"Mr Clarke..." Shinji began, "He told me your country sank beneath the ocean. I- I'm sorry, I want you to know that I never meant to-"

"Second Impact."

That confused him. "What?"

"Britain went underwater in the Second Impact." Mari explained, "I wasn't even alive at the time."

"O- oh..."

"Come on Puppy Boy," the Fourth Child sighed, "You're not gonna go about blaming yourself for everything are you?"

"Of course not!" Shinji said, defensively. "It's just..." He knew that not everything was his fault. His Father was just as much to blame for Third and Fourth Impact, if not more so. But at the same time, looking at everything had happened, it was hard not to feel guilty about every little thing.

"Cheer up Puppy," Mari said leaning over and petting Shinji on the head, much to his annoyance. "You've had some screw ups, but I still think you're a good boy."

"Please stop that." the boy moaned, leaning out of her reach.

Mari snickered at him. "Sorry, you're just too easy sometimes. Anyways, you don't need to worry. To be honest I kinda prefer Japan. I mean I'll always love my "country", but I haven't set foot on the HMS Over The Rainbow in years. Ever tried living on a single ship with an entire nation of people? It's like a birdcage!"

"That, does sound pretty uncomfortable." he conceded, "What about your parents? Don't they miss you?"

"Don't have any." she told him, surprisingly easily, "They went missing when I was around five. Kaji's raised me ever since."

"I'm sorry to hear that." the boy replied, solemnly, "I lost my Mother too."

"I know." Mari said, "So did the Princess."

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah. Wouldn't ask her about it though, it's kind of a touchy subject." Mari smiled sadly as she set her mug down on the coffee. "Kinda weird isn't it, every Eva Pilot just happened to lose their Mom at some point?"

"Yeah, that is weird," said Shinji, as he leaned back in his chair. "It's almost like..."

"There you are!"

Shinji almost fell backwards, but managed to hold the chair in place, narrowly avoiding a face full of hot tea. Asuka stepped into the room, giving her co-pilot a very disgruntled look. "You were supposed to wait for me Four-Eyes."

"I know," said Mari, acting like a child who got caught red-handed, "But the Puppy just seemed so sad and lonely. I figured he could use a friend."

"He's got me for that." Asuka said, pulling the Fourth Child out of her seat.

"Oh, is somebody jealous?" Mari teased, "Afraid I might snatch him away from you?"

"You assume way too much..." Asuka growled, taking her out the door.

And so, once again, Shinji was alone. He was just about to start feeling sorry for himseld when the Pilot of Unit 02 poked her head back into the room.

"I'll see you tomorrow afternoon, alright?"

Shinji couldn't help but smile as Asuka ducked back out of the room. He didn't expect his time on the Wunder to be a happy one. But with Asuka and Mari around, who could say it was boring?

* * *

Asuka slumped over on her bed, weary from yet another failed simulation. "This. Is getting. Ridiculous." she groaned, burying her face in her pillow, "How are we supposed to get in sync, when you can't keep up with my movements!?"

"You're the one who keeps moving out of position." said Mari, who say on the bunk below, "How am I supposed to match up with you when you keep going off script?"

They had gone through a simulation, not too different from the last: a dual-cored Angel that split itself in two and had to have both cores destroyed at the same time. WILLE had modified the simulation, so both Pilots used the same equipment, and were expected to follow the same strategy in unison, but it didn't work out that way. Asuka had used long ranged weaponry in the past, but close quarters was more her style, and Mari had been the sharpshooter for the past few years. They'd performed noticeably better than last time, but they still got their asses kicked in the end.

"You're a soldier!" Asuka protested, "You're supposed to adapt in these situations!"

"It's a sync test, not an actual combat situation." Mari pointed out, "The idea is to get is acting and thinking in tandem. Besides, how am I supposed to adapt when you insist on improvising all the time?"

"Urgh! I dunno..." the young Captain grumbled, rolling over and staring up at the ceiling. "I don't know how we're ever gonna be ready..."

"You're a lot testier than usual." Mari said, "Did something happen up in the lab?"

"No." Asuka snapped, "I told you it was just a regular check up." Even she knew she wasn't very convincing.

"It's back, isn't it?"

The Second Child let out a deep sigh. "Yeah. Only in my dreams right now but, it's back."

"So what does that mean for you as a pilot?"

"Doesn't mean anything." Asuka said, firmly, "I'm the only one who can pilot Unit 02, so I'll keep doing it."

"What if it takes over?" Mari asked her, "What if it happens while we're piloting? That thing coupd end us you know."

"I'll handle it." her partner insisted, "It's been talking to me in my sleep for years, I'm not gonna panic over that."

Mari said noting, but Asuka knew her friend saw through her.

"I'm not going to let it get to me." she promised, "I'm Asuka Shikinami, and I'll be damned if I'm letting that, thing get to me..."

Mari turned out the light, and let her friend get some much needed sleep. She'd had a rough day, and they were only going to get rougher as the war went on.

* * *

Ritsuko's heels clicked against the steel floors as she strode through the Ship of Hope. Salutes were exchanged with each man and woman that she passed. You didn't just walk by the Vice Captain without showing her due respect. Akagi, in turn, saluted them. Her innovations in Computer Science and Weapon's Technology made her one of the most valuable people in the organization, but it was the crew that kept her alive.

She swiped her card through the lock to Shinji's room, and the light turned green as the door slid open. "Shinji." said the Doctor, startling him out of bed.

"Oh! Good afternoon, Doctor Akagi." he said, shaking himself awake, "Um, sorry to be rude but, why are you here? My checkups not til this evening right?"

"Get dressed and come with me please."

He followed behind her obediently, looking somewhat nervous as she led him to the elevator. She exchanged salutes with the crew, just as before, but the prisoner got a much different reception. At best, they marched past him without another word, at worst, they whispered insults in his ear.

"I'm afraid you'll need to get used to that." Ritsuko told him, "We'll do what we can to mitigate it, but there will always be people who shun you."

Shinji's gaze never left the floor. "I know..."

"Cheer up," said Ritsuko as they stepped into the elevator, "I didn't let you out just to make you feel bad about yourself."

"Why did you let me out exactly?" he asked as they were taken up to Floor 7. The door opened to reveal a pristine central hub, filled with complicated machinery the boy couldn't hope to identify. Dozens of men and women milled about the place, all clad in lab coats and technician's uniforms, speaking in jargon that, to the layman, would have been as discernible as Latin.

"Welcome Shinji," said the Vice Captain, "To Research and Development."

At the end of the hall sat Ritsuko's office, overlooking a the main lab; where WILLE's scientists were hard at work on any number of projects.

She reached into her desk and took out a cyan binder. It contained what she called a Career Tree: a long list of potential jobs, each with their own list of promotions opportunities, career spinoffs, e.t.c. Multiple positions had been considered, including kitchen work, janitorial services and the like. Such jobs, however, were impractical for what they were trying to achieve. Shinji's post had to be something within his skill level (or lack thereof), something that wouldn't put the crew at risk, and something from which he could learn new skills that might help him find employment during peace times.

She handed Shinji a small grey card, attached to a lanyard. "This is called a Work Pass." she explained, "It grants special permission for prisoners to leave their cells at appointed times, to perform their duties (provided the have an escort with them)." It was intended for vital crew members who'd broken the law, to keep the ship running optimally until the offender could be replaced. That said, nothing forbade her from giving them out to civilian prisoners, and Shinji was a special case.

Shinji took the card from her with some trepidation. "Thank you Doctor," he said, "But I don't think I understand; what's going on here?"

Ritsuko smiled at him, "Starting today, Shinji, you are my new personal assistant."

* * *

Shinji Ikari spent the day rushing from place to place, getting Ritsuko coffee, doing heavy lifting for her and retrieving important documents, while she focused her attention on WILLE's main project. He'd asked her what exactly she was working on, but she had insisted that it was confidential.

His co-workers, if he could call them that, were generally polite to him; none of them called him a murderer at least. But at the same time, every time he had to work with them, he could feel the sense of unease coming off them. Still, it was better treatment than he expected.

He returned to his room that same evening, escorted by Sakura Suzuhara. He was fresh off of his daily checkup, and his was ready for a long night's sleep. His new job wasn't as physically taxing as his work on the farm, but it was tiring in it's own way, it was the monotony of it that really wore him down.

"Dinner will be brought to you shortly." said the Medical Officer as she ushered the boy into his room. "I'll take you for your next checkup the same time on Monday."

"Thank you." Shinji said, bowing as the Lieutenant turned to leave. "Wait, Ms Suzuhara I need to talk to you."

"Later, Mr Ikari." she replied, "Later."

"I'm sorry!"

She stopped in her tracks.

"I'm sorry for what happened to Touji." he said. He only just kept his nerves from getting to him. He didn't want to make her angry, but he had to say something. "I never meant to hurt him. I know he meant a lot to you. He meant a lot to both of us."

Sakura whipped around, her eyes burning with fury. "You knew." she hissed, "You knew what you'd done. And you still had to go and make everything worse." The girl got right up in his face, and Ikari shrank back in fear. "I gave you another chance. I warned you never to get in an Eva, but you did it anyway." Never once did she raise her voice above a whisper, but her anger was overwhelming. "All you think about is yourself."

"I... I'm sorry, I just wanted to make things right." Shinji replied, weakly, "I was only trying to help."

Sakura raised her hand to strike him, and Shinji made no attempt to stop her. If anyone had the right to hate him, it was Sakura.

But her palm never touched his cheek. She lowered her hand, and exhaled as the look on her face turned from rage to disappointment. "I don't want to hate you, Shinji. I wanted to believe you were better than that."

"So did I." he told her, "I just, didn't know who to believe anymore. I didn't trust Dad, or Misato. I just... I did what I thought was right, and I screwed up." Sakura just shook her head, and turned to leave again.

"Please," Shinji whispered, near to tears again, "I know what I did was wrong, but I want to make it up to you; to everyone. Please, I'll do anything."

Sakura turned back to him one more time. This time, what he saw in her eyes wasn't anger, or disappointment. It was pity.

"We'll see, Shinji." she told him, "Take care." With that, she stepped out of his room and locked the door, leaving him alone once again.

Shinji sat on his bed, stewing in his shame and self pity. He took a sip of Mari's tea to calm himself, but it had gone cold by then, and the bitter taste stuck in his mouth for the rest of the night.

**"Don't let your guilt hold you back." **Zeruel said, **"She was wrong about you."**

'No." Shinji thought, laying back and staring at the ceiling, 'She was right.'

* * *

A/N: I apologise if the first couple chapters have been a bit short for you guys, but I promise things will start to pick up in Chapter 3, and I'll do my best to make the next one longer. See you there!

-Rollinaround


	3. Brain Scan

**A/N: **Hey everyone, before we start I have a little announcement to make: I've been thinking of commisioning some artwork for (Never) Alone Part 1 and 2. That said, I'm not super knowledgeable when it comes to Eva fan artists. If you have any reccondations, or think I should save it for after the stories complete, please send me a PM and let me know. Now that's done, lets dig into Chapter 3.

-Rollinaround

* * *

**Evangelion**

**Gemini Rising**

By Rollinaround

Episode 3

Brain Scan

* * *

Babylon. The city of rebirth. The star of the ocean. The last great city of man.

Floating above the sea, where the Australian continent once sat, Babylon was the headquarters of the United Nations, and the largest, most advanced city on Earth. In the years following the cataclysm, this place had become a home for the lost and the broken. The world capital was split into eight districts, each of them shaped like a triangle and forming an eight pointed star. In the centre of it all was the UN Headquarters, the seat of power that governed the lives of men and women across the planet.

Off the coast of Babylon lay a gargantuan fleet of battleships, spanning miles and miles of ocean between the city, and Japan. It was their first line of defense in the event of an attack from NERV. And attack they did.

Admiral Jones watched as his Advance Fleet was approached over a dozen A.I-controlled battleships. A formidable offense to be sure, but nothing that could hope to reach the city. "Hmmmph! They're testing us." Jones scoffed as NERV opened fire upon them. "Anything else coming, Mr Smith?"

"I can't say, Captain!" the young man said, typing furiously as a spray of gunfire grazed the hull. "They've scrambled our radar, and our sonar! Reports from the fleet are saying the same thing; we're fighting completely blind!"

The old man harrumphed as NERV's forces slowly beared down on them. "Well, if Gendo wants to see what this fleet is capable of, I say we give him exactly what he wants. Launch the jets!"

The sky was adorned with a streak of pure, white contrails as eight of WILLE's bombers soared above them, weaving around NERV's anti-aircraft weaponry with ease and dropping bombs on the ships' main cannons. With their weapons crippled, the Advance Fleet made short work of them, and only one ship remained above the sea. A destroyer, 200 feet in length, surged towards Jone's ship. It's weapons were naught but scrap metal now, but the steel sea monster powered forwards anyway. Bombs fell upon it's deck, missiles crashed into it's hull and yet still it sped on. "Impact in an estimated 47 seconds, Sir!"

"Fire the remote torpedoes!" the Admiral roared, "Get ready to detonate them on my mark, not a moment sooner or later!" A pair of long, black torpedoes shot from the underside of Jones's Ironclad. With no sonar to guide them, he would have to rely on his instincts. One second off, and he was a dead man. The old man closed his eyes, and waited for the moment of truth.

"Impact in 30 seconds!" Smith yelped as the ship dominated their view, "20 seconds! 15 Seconds!"

"Now!"

The resulting explosion blasted sea water into the air like a geyser, lifting the stern of NERV's destroyer, before it fell back into the water and began to sink. The crew breathed a sigh of relief as it slowly disappeared beneath the sea. The hull of the ship had already been ravaged, and that blow to the propeller was the final nail in the coffin. "Nicely done, men." said Jones, lighting up his pipe in celebration, "What's the damage?"

"We've lost 2 of our bomber jets." The Lieutenant announced. "3 battleships were sunk during the destroyer's charge and our aircraft carrier has taken severe damage to the starboard side."

"I see." the Admiral said, scratching his beard. "What of our submarines?

"We haven't heard back from them Sir."

"Nothing on the sonar either." Smith added, "We've managed to unscramble it, there's just no sign of anything below the surface. It looks like they were just, wiped out."

"Wiped out?" the Admiral sputtered, "But how?"

"I'm getting reports from the Second Fleet." the Lieutenant said, "Something's moving towards them at a high speed. It's not a torpedo, apparently; it's too big?"

"How big are we talking?"

"About a hundred and fifty feet in length sir."

The American man scratched his forehead. What kind of underwater craft measured a hundred and fifty foot long? Then again, maybe it wasn't a submarine. What if... "Oh no."

"Sir?"

"Tell them to drop the mines immediately!" Jones yelled, "Whatever you do, do not let that thing reach the city!"

Far below the surface, a long, white cylinder pierced through the sea, it's course set for Babylon.

* * *

It was a weird day for the people down in R&D. The introduction of a new co-worker was always a bit of an adjustment, but this one was downright surreal. Over the past 14 years, Shinji Ikari had gone from an everyday kid to a legend, a fable, a cautionary tale. Ask three people his story, you'd get four different tellings. People on board called him everything from a misguided hero to an out-and-out villain, and he'd been gone away so long, most people assumed he'd never be seen again. Yet here he was, in the flesh.

Mori the Receptionist was just about to close the Records Department for lunch, when the infamous Pilot stepped into the hall. The atmosphere of the room changed on a dime, the only sound in the room, his echoing footsteps. He wasn't what the Receptionist had expected. The boys had told him the boy seemed normal but very quiet, and was a dead ringer for his Father. Indeed he looked perfectly average at face value, and there was a clear family resemblance, but something about the kid seemed slightly off. There was just something about the way he carried himself, the look in his eyes and the dark bags hanging beneath them. He looked tired, and not just physically. On the whole there was just something, unsettling about this kid.

"Good afternoon." He said, bowing low, "I was hoping you could help me locate a file. Something called TE-027?"

"Um, sure." Mori replied, pulling up a list of the available files. He was slightly caught off guard by the boy's demeanour. He'd brought civilization to it's breaking point, and supposedly had the strength to bend iron, yet he was remarkably soft spoken. "Ah, here we are: Section Six, third column on the right. May take you some time though, that one's almost as old as WILLE itself."

"I see." Shinji said, bowing again, "Thank you for your help." All eyes were on him as he dug through the records, on the search for some obscure file from the late 2010s. Even knowing the file's rough location, each column was about 20 feet high, with thirteen shelves per column, each holding nearly a hundred different files. He was starting to think the whole thing was just a wild goose chase when he finally dug the thing from the back of Section 6. He jumped off the ladder, falling over 10 feet and cushioning his fall with his A.T Field. He stumbled to his feet, ignoring the weird looks he got from his coworkers, and left the hall without another word. And just like that, all the tension drained from the room.

On his way back, Shinji came across a young man, struggling to lift a supply crate off the floor. Normally, heavy equipment was carted from place to place, but in this case, the harness had broken and the crate tumbled to the floor. "Uh, little help?" the man asked, his eyes placed firmly on his work.

"Sure." the boy replied, lifting the crate into the air with little trouble.

"Holy shit!" the worker yelped, stumbling backwards as he and Shinji put the crate back where it belonged. "That's a hell of a grip you've got there man! What are you, half gorilla or something- gah!" The guy flinched in shock when he turned around and finally realized who was helping him.

"I'm sorry..." Shinji mumbled, shrinking back.

"No no, it's fine!" the man insisted, "I just wasn't expecting to see, well, you. Um, thanks for the help."

Shinji nodded silently. He knew the guy was just being polite, but there was no point in making a big deal of it. This was just the way his life was going to be. He took a closer look at the steel container. "To Lab 21?" he asked, reading the text on the side, "Never heard of that one."

"No surprise there." he was told, "That's where they work on all their top secret experiments."

"Really? Like what?

"Wouldn't be a secret if I told you." the man chuckled, "Besides, I don't even know myself, I just deliver the parts. We all have our own ideas on what they're doing over there but, we're not supposed to talk about it."

"Huh. Well have a nice day." As Shinji made his way back to Ritsuko's office, he contemplated the mysterious Lab 21 and what they were working on. When he thought of all the things WILLE might want to hide, especially from NERV, one thing sprung to mind, above all others.

Evangelions.

When he got back to the office, Ritsuko was waiting for him, along with Misato. "C- Colonel Katsuragi!" Asuka and Mari had advised him to follow military etiquette, and refer to officers by their rank.

"Good afternoon Shinji." the Captain said, "Sit down, please."

* * *

Misato watched as the former Eva Pilot was fitted with a Neuro Scanner, a small, cross-shaped gadget, lined with short metal prongs. Shinji winced as Ritsuko attached it to the back of his neck. Even with anasthetic, the experience was quite uncomfortable. "I'm sorry for this Shinji," Misato said, "If it's too painful, we can have the Scanner removed."

"It's fine." Shinji groaned, "I can handle it." He'd already consented to the experiment, and he'd suffered worse pain than this. The 7th Angel impaled him through both his hands. Compared to that, this was on par with getting his shots.

"This device will allow us to scan your mind on multiple different levels, in an attempt to locate, and communicate with the 10th Angel." Ritsuko explained, "Now the human brain is capable of processing multiple thoughts and emotions at once, so we're going to focus on one at a time, while blocking out the background noise."

"I understand."

"Before we begin," the Doctor said, "Perhaps you could tell us where you think the Angel is? Is it in your conscious mind, subconcious, Superego, Id?"

"I think it's in my conscious mind." he told them, "I can hear him speak to me, so that one makes the most sense. It's hard to say though, I don't exactly know how this works."

Akagi smirked at that. "It's not something they teach you in science class." she quipped, "Still, your consciousness is as good a starting point as any." She switched on a nearby radio, connected wirelessly to the Neural Scanner, and it came alive with about half a dozen thoughts, all playing at once. Ritsuko turned on a series of dials, drowning out the noise pollution while increasing the volume on specific trains of thought, one by one. They heard him question the legality of the device, a couple of songs from his SDAT player, a few nagging doubts, and then the radio went silent.

"There." Shinji said, "He's not saying anything but I felt him react."

"Can you hear me, 10th Angel?" Ritsuko asked. The feed remained silent.

"Come on Zeruel." said the boy, "They already know you're in there." Still no answer. "If you don't say something they'll think I've gone crazy so quit messing around." More silence. The Angel was on Shinji's last nerve. "Zeruel, if you don't speak up now I'll bash my brains out against the wall!"

There was a brief pause, before an unfamiliar, androgenous voice, echoed through the room. **"Yes Lilin, I can hear you."**

"Thank you." Ritsuko said, "We're going to ask you a few questions. Don't worry, it won't take long."

**"I am unable to act on my own; I have all the time in the world."**

"Good. First question, why did you leave Eva 01 with Shinji?" Ritsuko asked.

**"I have not left Unit 01." **was the reply, **"I merely left a small piece of myself within the Lilin. The rest of me is back in the Evangelion. As for why, I wished to observe him. I could not comprehend the fact that one of your kind had beaten me, especially one as unremarkable as him."**

"You expect me to believe that?" Misato asked, "You had no intention of merging with Lilith, or one of the Adams?"

**"That was my plan, originally." **Zeruel confessed, **"But Lilith is in NERV's position, along with three of the Adams. I need either Lilith, or all four of the Adams, in order to achieve my purpose. And the King of the Lilin has his own plans for Final Impact, which I doubt will be to my benefit."**

"Then what do you plan to do now?"

**"I do not know." **it admitted, **"At present, I am content to merely survive."**

"What about Shinji?" Misato demanded, "Asuka is suffering the effects of Angelic Contamination. If she's at risk of being possesed, then why isn't he?

"Or Unit 01?" the Doctor added.

**"I can only speculate. If forced to give an answer, I would say that my kin has entered her in it's entirety. If left unrepressed, they would share an equal part of her mind. I am merely a fragment, leaving him the primary entity in this vessel."** Ritsuko adjusted her glasses. It was difficult to tell if the creature was lying. **"As for the Evangelion, I cannot take control. There is another presence keeping me suppressed."**

"Wait, you mean Rei?" Shinji asked, hopefully, "You're talking about Rei, right?"

**"I am not sure."** the Angel replied, **"It could be her, or the soul of the Eva itself."**

Misato and Ritsuko shared a nervous gaze. Shinji would likely want to contact Rei. It was risky enough letting her clone talk to the First Child. If Shinji tried it, god knows what might happen.

"I believe that will be all for now." Ritsuko said, "Shinji, you may return to your room. Angel, we will communicate with you again soon."

The scanner was removed from Shinji's neck, and he was ushered out by one of WILLE's soldiers. "Captain." he said, turning to the woman who practically raised him. "I just want to say..." She held her breath, but the Shinji's courage failed him, and he ran out the door. "W- well bye!"

She exhaled as the door slammed shut. The Doctor gave her friend a knowing look, and Misato knew at once what she was thinking. "No, Ritsuko."

"I know you have some very good reasons." said Ritsuko as the Captain got up from her chair. "I don't like it either. But we're already in hot water, and if we don't take the necessary precautions..."

"I said no!" the Colonel yelled, storming out of the office.

Ritsuko sighed as she returned to her work. She was ashamed to have asked such a thing, but the stakes were gravely high, and every instinct she had told her it was a necessary evil. Still, to think they had to make such decisions in the first place, it spoke volumes about the state of the world.

The chains of duty weighed heavy on Ritsuko's shoulders. She couldn't imagine how it must have been for Misato.

* * *

"So, any of you see our "new arrival" recently?" Hideki asked, as he and the rest of the Bridge Crew sat in the Mess Hall, at a table specially reserved for them and the Eva Pilots.

"I passed by him on the way to work this morning," Hyuga said, biting into a hunk of spiced carrot, "But I didn't say anything. I don't even think he noticed me. He kept staring at the floor with this kinda blank look on his face. It was, kinda eerie now that I think about it."

Hideki looked unsurprised. "I saw him last night, coming back from the labs. The moment he caught sight of me, he looked away." The young man shook his head, "I think he was scared of me."

"That's something new." said Mari, who sat across from them with Asuka. "Someone else afraid of Hideki Tama." She and Tama chuckled over that.

Nagara was next to speak up. "I expect he's frightened by all of us." the Helmsman said, staring into her green tea.

"Ha, that's a good one!" Midori scoffed, "The hell's he got to be scared of? We're the ones at risk here! Meanwhile, he's sitting pretty downstairs, the Doctor went and gave him a job, and they're not even putting a choker on him!"

Asuka gripped her fork so hard she thought it was going to snap. The Radar Technician had a point, they were kind of throwing caution to the wind. But even when she was right, Kitakami had a talent for pissing everyone off.

"We did almost kill him." Koji pointed out, "And we've regularly treated him like a criminal. I think he has as much reason to fear us as we do him."

"He is a criminal!" Midori snapped back, "He killed almost ten million people, and the Captain hasn't done jack about it!"

Nagara took a sip of her tea, and a deep breath. "Put yourself in her shoes." the Helmsman posited, "Imagine you're expected to judge someone like that. This person has committed a serious crime, but they're also frightened, and confused, and their crime spawned from ignorance and good intentions. Now imagine that person is someone in your family; would you want to be in a position like that?"

Midori's eyes shot daggers at the woman. "Don't. Ever. Compare my family to him." she whispered, brandishing her fork like a dagger. Nagara stared her down for a moment, before returning to her drink.

Asuka finished her dinner as quickly as possible. She held her tongue; it was expected of her as an Eva Pilot, and she couldn't go around starting fights. Still, she had to leave soon, before she got herself court-martialled.

A short while later, Asuka and Shinji sat together in his humble bedroom. Mari joined them, in accordance with their Sync training, but the Second Child insisted she keep her mouth shut. "Fine by me," she had said, "Watching you two is fun enough on its own."

A fog of discomfort surrounded them. They hadn't really sat down and talked like this since Elysium, and they'd spent most of that time fighting with each other. "So..." she began, already feeling butterflies in her stomach, "How are you settling in?"

"It's going ok I guess." Shinji said, half heartedly, "The people at RD are nice enough, but I think they're scared of me. Every time I walk into a room I can feel them staring. The rest of the crew either ignore me, hate me, or... I don't know. The Vice Captain said I'll have to get used to it."

"You will." said Asuka, "It'll take a while, but sooner or later you'll stop caring, or they'll stop bothering you."

"The Princess and I put up with it for years." Mari said, throwing in her two yen, "But then, I think she scared them for other reasons." Her lips curled into that obnoxious, cat-like smile as her co-pilot shot her a dirty look. So much for keeping quiet.

"Aside from that," Shinji continued, "Work's been fine. Doctor Akagi treats me well, and I'm always kept busy. I never really know why I'm doing what I'm doing; everything's "classified"." he leaned back against the wall as he thought on his position. "It feels like she's keeping everything secret from me, because she doesn't trust me."

Asuka rolled her eyes. Did he think the world was out to get him? "You're just being paranoid, Bratty Shinji!" she said, "The Doctor keeps things from us all the time. lf it doesnt involve us, she's not gonna tell."

"Right." he said, "Sorry..."

"Don't be sorry." Asuka chided him, "Just, not everyone has it out for you." The kid averted his gaze. She could see there was something bothering him. "Anything else?"

"No..." he mumbled. It was such an obvious lie, it had to be a cry for help.

"You don't sound very convinced." said Asuka, nobody's fool but her own. "What happened?"

"Nothing." Shinji said, defensively, "I swear, nothing happened! Mph!" she gave him a punitive tap on the head. At times it felt like she had to treat Shinji like a child to get anywhere with him. But even a child needed discipline.

"Don't lie to me." she warned him, "If you don't wanna tell me, that's on you, but don't think I'm an idiot."

The boy stared at the floor as he explained himself. "Last night, Ms Suzuhara brought me here after work." he began, "I tried to apologise for what happened to Toji; what I did to Toji." Asuka could sense the tears were about to flow. "She, got really mad at me. She said I only cared about myself. She nearly hit me..."

Asuka inhaled deeply. That must have been very hard for Shinji, but then again: "Did she want to talk about it?" The boy shook his head. "You dumbass..."

"You think she was right?" Shinji murmured. Asuka struggled with that one.

"Maybe." she conceded. It was mean to say so, but he'd admitted to being selfish before. "I know you're sorry but..."

Mari cut in. "If you try to apologise, and she doesn't want to talk about it, it kinda looks like you care more about being forgiven." the boy tried to curl up into a ball, but Asuka stopped him, grabbing onto his arm.

"Don't do that." she said, "Just think about what you did, and what you should have done."

Shinji remained silent for a while. He had very little experience when it came to this sort of thing, so the answer didn't come easily to him. "I... I shouldn't have forced her to talk about it when she didn't want to. I shouldn't have tried to make her forgive me. I should have..."

"Waited." Asuka said, "You should have waited."

"Yeah..." Shinji said, finally, "So what should I do?"

Asuka opened her mouth to speak, but then caught herself. "I don't know." she conceded, "I've never really tried. I just did what I always did, and piloted Unit 02, and after a while, they left me alone. I never cared if they forgave me. Hell, I don't even know if they did." Shinji kept his gaze firmly on the ground. "But you're not like that, are you?"

"No." Shinji said, "I used to think I didn't care what people think of me but, I guess I do. It feels like everyone hates me, and it hurts..."

"Does Sakura hate you?" Mari asked him.

"I don't know..." he said, drying his eyes. "She said she didn't want to hate me."

"Well," Mari suggested, "Just sit tight, be good and try to do the right thing. Me and the Princess will help you with that. But don't do it because you want to be forgiven, do it because it's right."

"And if she doesn't forgive you," the Second Child added, "Well... she doesn't. I know it sucks, but that's how it goes sometimes." The boy's shoulders began to sag, and he hung his head in shame.

"Look at me." Asuka said, holding his chin up, making him stare into her one good eye. "Even if Suzuhara does hate you, even if she never forgives you, it's ok. You know why? Because you've still got people who care about you."

"It's true," said Makinami, "Me and the Princess still care, and Kensuke. Hell, I bet the guys in the lab'll give you a shot too. Just keep at it ok? I know you can do better."

Shinji smiled at them weakly. "Thanks." he whispered. "That helps, at least a little bit."

"No problem" Mari said, checking her watch. "It's getting late." she told Asuka, "We better get going before lights out."

"Alright," Asuka said, getting out of her chair. "I'll see you later alright?" Shinji nodded his head, keeping up his smile as they walked out the door. "Take care of yourself."

With that, she closed the door, leaving the boy alone once more.

'Damn it!' she thought, 'What the hell kind of advice was that?' she would have bashed her own head in if Mari wasn't there, not that it helped, as the girl seemed to have noticed anyway.

"I think that went alright." she said.

"I made him cry!" Asuka replied, "You think that's alright?" She buried her face in her palm, "It's hard..." she admitted, "I want to help him but I'm not his Mommy; I can't be there for him all the time."

Mari patted her friend on the shoulder, but she stepped away. "You don't have to be there all the time; you shouldn't. You can still help him, but some things he needs to figure out himself. Besides, it's not like you're the only one he has."

"I don't know," Asuka said, pulling her hat on, "I guess."

"And you didn't make him cry, he's just... delicate. Give it time, he'll toughen up."

The one-eyed Pilot rubbed her forehead. The whole thing was giving her a headache. The kid had fought Angel after Angel, and learned to take pain like a champ but this, this was something he didn't know hhow to cope with.

They almost made it back to the room when theur comm devices started beeping. "Damn it..." Asuka grumbled, "What now?"

The Colonel's voice came through, and she sounded panicked. "Mari, Asuka we need you to get down to the Eva cages right now! Babylon is under attack!" Mari felt a chill down her spine when she heard what they were up against.

"It's the Eva Series!"

And a few thousand miles away, the tall, green Evangelion, waded through the twisted remain's of the UN fleet, it's red eyes glowing in the night.


	4. Eva Attack

**A/N: **

Going forward, I've to release new chapters on Saturday or Sunday, when readers will have more free time to read them.

Also, I've decided to ficus on Gemini Rising for now, as I doubt I have the dedication and free time necessary to write two stories in tandem, and I'd like to finish Gemini Rising before 3.01.0 comes out. Once Part 2 is completed, I will begin work on the runner up.

That's all for now. I hope you guys enjoy Chapter 4.

-Rollinaround

* * *

**Evangelion**

**Gemini Rising**

By Rollinaround

Episode 4

Eva Attack

* * *

The wings of the AAA Wunder sliced through the clouds as it sped towards Babylon. With the engines at full power, the ship flew at an incredible speed of 2,400mph, unprecedented for an aircraft this size. If anyone happened to be watching from the red ocean below, the Ship of Hope would be nothing but a streak of light in the night sky. They were short on time. The MP Eva was already on the coast of Babylon, and that was 2 hours away.

Deep in the cage for Unit-02, Misato's best engineers were hard at work, hastily grafting the remains of the Eva onto a crude body made from whatever metal they had on hand. It was a lot heavier than anything else the Evangelion Project had created, designed more for power and defense than flexibility. On Unit-02's back was a massive gatling gun, powerful enough to shred a Nemesis like paper. It was far from ideal, but as long as it could produce an A.T Field, it would do. Ritsuko oversaw the construction, staring at the Eva from the catwalk down below. She took a long drag from her cigarette. Their chances were looking slim. The last Eva they fought nearly killed Mari, and was only vanquished when Shinji awakened Unit-01 by accident. Needless to say, it wasn't very encouraging that their best hope of victory could potentially bring the world to it's knees.

Speaking of the boy, he was to remain in his room until the battle was over. He would be of little use during the fight, and if the battle started to turn, he might be tempted to pilot again. To that end, Lieutenant Suzuhara and Agent Aida had been tasked with keeping him safe, and preventing him from doing anything stupid. A pair of guards were stationed outside his room, and were authorized to use nonlethal force. She didn't doubt his sincerity in wanting to do right by them, but she wouldn't put it past him to intervene if his friends were in danger. Hopefully, Kensuke and Sakura could talk him out of it.

"How much longer until it's ready to deploy?" Ritsuko asked.

"One hour and seventeen minutes." Lt Commander Ibuki replied, "Assuming all goes well. The new body is pretty much a hodgepodge of whatever we could scrape up; there's more variables here than we can count." Ritsuko took another long drag, tobacco smoke pouring out of her mouth as she contemplated their plight. They had the numbers advantage for certain, as well as the Anti-A.T weaponry of Babylon, but they could only do so much.

"We'll focus on keeping the Eva out of the city." she decided, "Once our Pilots have talen the fighting outside the city walls, have them focus keeping it distracted, while we deal the bulk of the damage from above." It wasn't foolproof (Unit-02 was still unreliable after all), but it was the best they could hope for. "How about Unit-08?"

"We don't have time to repair the legs." Maya explained, "So we're fitting it with a set of four wheels." It had it's disadvantages, but the Eva would retain most of it's speed and maneuverability.

"I suppose this will have to do..." Ritsuko said as she snuffed out her cigarette, and prepared for the worst.

* * *

The MP Eva stomped it's way through Elysium, bringing down an entire city block with a sungle swing of it's axe. While visually identical to the Eva Series prototype, the finished product was far more refined. MP-000 was bestial, focusing solely on attacking one target until it fell. This one had a mind for tactical combat, focusing it's attention on the Industrial and Military Districts and prioritizing the few targets that posed a threat to it. As the Eva hacked it's way through the Industrial District, Elysium's defenses struggled to hold it back. The city's design was similar to Tokyo-3, with it's buildings and factories retreating below the surface, to be replaced by shields, mounted weapons, and supply crates for the Evangelions. They also had an edge against NERV that they never had against the Angels: Anti-A.T ammunition. A mounted turret rose above the streets, firing a pair of AA rounds and splitting the barrier open. A second blasted the MP with missles, but they did little more than scratch it's armor. It did, however, repel the target, pushing it back several feet, towards the ocean. They knew they had no hope of destroying the Eva, so instead, they bought themselves time, until WILLE arrived.

The Wunder came screaming onto the scene, blasting the Eva at full force. Deep in the underground bunkers, a great cheer rose among the people of Elysium as NERV's Unit was sent flying into the sea. The heroes had arrived. MP-001 sprung back to it's feet, hurling it's axe at the flying ship and leaving a big gash in it's right wing. The blow did little more than unbalance the Wunder, and it responded in kind, soaring above the Eva and dropping bomb after bomb until it was engulfed in a massive geyser of water. The MP-001 pulled itself out of the sea, ready to strike back, but Misato was far from done.

"Drop them now!" she barked. The Wunder activated it's internal gravity field, holding it's crew down as the ship pulled up until they were flying upside down. The ship headed back towards the city, righting itself and opening the hatch along the way. A dull, brown titan fell from the sky, landing in the ocean with a splash, tossing the water over a hundred feet into the air. The barrel of it's gatling gun spun like a drill, unleashing the deafening sound of a thousand high capacity rounds, hammering away at MP-001's armour plating. A second later, Eva Unit-08 landed in the city with a thunderous boom. It's four, wheeled legs were unfit for travel in water, so it hung back, supporting Unit-02 from afar. "How do you like that asshole!?" Mari snarled as she fired off a pair of grenades, knocking the MP Eva on it's ass. Unit-02 hit a switch on the top of it's gatling gun, and the cylinder popped out of the side, to be replaced by a set of high-powered rockets. WILLE's Evangelions were long past their glory days, resembling a pair of Frankenstein creations more than the glorious Angel slayers they were designed to be, but even after all they'd endured, after going through countless hasty repairs and desperate modifications, just to keep them running, were still the mightiest force on the battlefield, and seeing them brought a spark of hope to even the most sour of pessimists.

NERV's Eva stood once more, reaching for the sky as an airborne pod flew overhead. The pod split in two, and from the clouds fell a jet black positron launcher, big enough to flatten a warship. The Eva caught it's weapon with ease, but before it could take aim, Asuka fired her own weapon, engulfing it in a cloud of ash and black smoke. Foam and water crashed into the city as each round denotated against the beast's armour plating, but the Eva didn't move an inch. "Dammit," Asuka grumbled as the cylinder fell out of her gun, "It's empty." She pulled out another set of missles, ready to reload, but a ball of glowing ball of positions emerged from the smoke cloud, aimed at Unit-02's feet. Asuka sprung backwards, the hydaulics in her legs sending her high into the air, but the positron ball detonated, creating an explosion comparable to that of an N2 mine. The positrons engulfed Unit-02's legs turning them into dust. Asuka's Unit fell into the ocean, creating a tidal wave big enough to sweep Unit-08 off it's wheels. The dust blew away to reveal MP-001, it's A.T Field at max power, it's body undamaged.

Asuka grabbed onto the side of Babylon, pulling herself out of the water and scrambling to reload. Unit-08's legs extended, pushing it off the ground until it stood upright again. MP-001 raised it's launcher, aiming it straight up. "The hell is it doing?" Mari asked, "It's literally aiming at nothing! How is it supposed to... oh shit!" Mari drove towards the shore at top speed, firing grenade after grenade, but every one of them detonated harmlessly against the barrier. The positron ball fired high into the air, guided by the Earth's curvature until it exploded atop the Wunder. The damage was severely reduced at such a long range, but it was still enough to take a chuck out of the hull, damaging the wings and almost knocking it out of the sky. The ship pulled up before it hit the water, but MP-001 leapt into the air, latching onto the ship and hammering away with it's axe.

"So that's the game they're playing." Asuka groaned, "The real target isn't the city, it's the Wunder!

The ship tossed about as the battle outside raged on. Explosions and gunfire echoed in the distance, and every hit shook the Wunder like mad, sending it's staff and Officers tumbling to the floor. A giant axe blade penetrated the hull, slicing a man clean in two. The engines were powerful enough to keep them in the air, but the extra weight made flying especially difficult, and the results were felt all over the ship.

Shinji clung to his bed for dear life, but a blow to the Starboard hull sent it sliding into the wall, knocking the boy silly, and Sakura fell hard on her back, bashing her head against the steel. "This is insane!" Kensuke yelled, barely keeping himself on his feet by holding onto the bathroom doorway. The Agent had spent most of his time off ship, and had never been involved in any kind of aerial combat. "Is it always like this?"

"No!" the Lieutenant screamed, pulling Shinji to his feet, "We've had a few rough battles but the Wunder's bever taken on this kind of damage before!" The girls knees buckled, and she fell to the floor, almost vomiting up last night's dinner. Shinji nursed his arm as his thoughts turned to Asuka and Mari. What had happened to them? The view from his window had been blocked, presumably to keep him from panicking over stuff like this. But it didn't help; if anything ot just made things worse. What if they were hurt? what if they were dead? What if they lost this one? But the worst feeling, the absolute worst, was being unable to do anything about it.

"I've had enough..." he muttered, making his way for the door. Before he could force it open, Sakura grabbed hold of his wrist.

"No Shinji." she said, firmly, "You're staying here."

"I can't." he told her, pulling away, "I can't just sit here and do nothing while my friends are out there, dying because of me."

"Yes you can", said Kensuke, "Because you have to. I know you want to help, man, but if you get in an Eva you'll just make things worse!"

"What else can I do?" Shinji asked bitterly, "It's all I was ever good for." He tried the door again, but Sakura shoved him back.

"Don't you get it?" she asked, "This is exactly what your Father wants. If you get captured, we're as good as dead!" Shinji faltered for a moment, but it wasn't enough to stop him.

Kensuke reached for his tranq gun as his old friend tried to force his way past once more. "I'm sorry pal..."

Before he had the chance to fure, the Second Lieutenant slapped Shinji in the face, hard enough to floor the kid. "What is wrong with you!?" she shrieked, "How many people have to die before you get the message!?"

That almost managed to get through to Shinji, until he remembered what Asuka said to him, the day of Fourth Impact.

"You didn't save me , Bratty Shinji." she had said, "You thought only of yourself, like usual."

"No." he said, rising to his feet, "No, I've got to help her; I have to save Asuka."

"Captain Shikinami can take care of herself." Sakura insisted, "If you want to help her then sit down and stay out of the way."

"I tried that once." Shinji told her, "And it cost me everything." He walked past her, digging his fingers between the door and doorway and finally pulling it open.

"Did Toji mean nothing to you?" Sakura asked him. Shinji stopped dead in his tracks. "Did none of them mean anything to you?"

"That's not fair." he whispered, gripping the door so hard the metal warped, "You know I didn't mean to do that."

"But you did do it, twice!" The Lieutenant reminded him, "And now you're gonna do it again."

"The Main Engine is the most heavily guarded room on the ship." Kensuke added, "And even if you get past the guards, your Sync Rate's at 0."

The former Pilot's body shook, and his grip relaxed as he tried desperately to rationalize his actions. "But I... I have to try. I have to help them. I..."

Sakura wrapped her fingers around Shinji's arm, and he let her pull him back without a fuss. "You said you wanted to make up for your mistakes, to learn from your mistakes. Was that a lie?" The kid shook his head. "Then prove it." Crushed and dejected, the young man returned to his bed, and curled up in a ball. "That was big of you." said the Medical Officer. It came off as sarcasm, but she truly meant it.

"I just wanted to help." Shinji mumbled to himself, "I don't wanna see my friends get hurt anymore."

"Noone does." Kensuke told him, "But right now, there's nothing we can do except hope things work out." The Wunder shook again, and Shinji stared longingly at the reflective glass of his bedroom window. Even with the power Zeruel gave him, he was still helpless.

"They'll be fine." Sakura told him, "We've taken down one of those things before, we can do it again." Shinji did his best to look hopeful, but the fear in his eyes was plain to see.

With nothing else to do, Shinji closed his eyes, and prayed for Asuka and Mari's safety.

* * *

Mari wiped the sweat from her brow as she took aim at MP-001. Normally a shot like this would be know problem, but with the Wunder shaking like crazy, and too far away to make a straight shot, the pressure was near unbearable. Asuka wasn't doing any better; the blast from the Positron Launcher rendered her pretty much immobile. If the Eva turns it's attention on her again, she was as good as dead. They only had one shot at this, so they had to make it count. "We're in deep shit down here, Colonel!" Mari yelled, her heart pounding like a jack hammer, "If we don't think of something quick, we can kiss our asses goodbye!"

"Just stay calm!" Misato barked as the Wunder struggled to right itself. "We know what we're doing; just take care of Asuka, and while you're at it, deploy Unit-08's hydraulic claws. We're gonna play a game of catch!"

Mari detached the grenade launchers from her robotic arms, replacing them with a pair of titanium claws. They were designed for excavation, but also made for surprisingly good melee weapons. Dipping her hydraulic grabbers into the water, Mari pulled Unit-02 out of the water and slung it over her back. "Ok Princess, hang on tight." she said as Eva-02 wrapped it's arms around Unit-08's torso, "Things are gonna get bumpy."

"Just make sure you don't get us blown up." Asuka groaned, "You've already trashed Unit-02 once."

"You're still mad about that?" Mari asked, as Unit-02 grasped it's rocket launcher, awkwardly, "It was fourteen years ago!"

"Will you two stop bickering!?" Misato ordered them. "Just be ready to catch the Eva on my signal. Command Post Gamma, deploy Anti A.T Turrets and fire on the Eva Series!" A number of mounted guns rose out of the city, blasting MP-001 with enough neutralizing rounds to rip it's force field asunder. With the Evangelion exposed, the ship set it's engines to full power. A pillar of fire shot out of the Wunder's exhausts, hitting the Eva right in the chest and softening it's armor. They soared into the air, swivelling around until MP-001 finally released it's grip, plummeting towards the earth. "Now, Mari!"

Unit-08 went into reverse, shooting through Babylon at top speed, while Unit-02 clung to it's back. The bizarre, tank-like combination intercepted the Eva Series just in time, digging it's claws into the chest and ripping it away. "Got you now, asshole!" Mari shouted. Asuka fired a rocket at the Eva, blasting it away as the AAA Wunder looped in the air, putting MP-001 in it's sights.

"Open fire!" Misato screamed as the ship, Unit-02, and the city itself unleashed the full force of their arsenal. The Mass Produced Eva never stood a chance. The Industrial District was drenched in LCL, and a rainbow stretched over Babylon, confirming the death of another of NERV's weapons. Angelic blood swept through the streets, spilling harmlessly into the ocean.

"Target neutralized." Ritsuko announced, exhaling a cloud of cigarette smoke, "The ship has taken heavy damage, and our Eva's are in a serious state of disrepair. We'll need to spend at least a week in the city to resupply, and repair the damage talen during the battle."

Misato gritted her teeth. This was exactly the scenario she wanted to avoid. She'd hoped to keep Shinji out of Babylon for as long as possible, until she could prove his worth to the UN, but NERV had forced her hand. The boy's fate was now out of her control. "Where is Suzu?" the Colonel asked.

"The Ayanami Type is currently in her cell." Ritsuko explained. Rei's clone had been feeding them information on Gendo's plans, and in return, they allowed her to communicate with Unit-01, and the original First Child that fascinated her so. "You want me to keep her hidden?"

"No." Misato said, "This organisation is our best hope for the future. We can't afford to lose the UN's support even if it means giving her up." The Captain removed her hat, "The same goes for Shinji. If we withhold the Impact Trigger from them, I can't see them taking it well." The United Nations had promised not to execute Shinji Ikari, but there was still a very real chance that he could spend the rest of his life in a cell. "We'll just have to argue their case as best we can, and hope the court will be lenient."

* * *

Shinji Ikari sat in his room, quiet as a mouse as he felt the ship landed in Babylon. "Did they win?"

"Feels like it." Kensuke said, adjusting his glasses, "I'm proud of you man; I thought I was gonna have to tranq you for a moment there."

"I'm glad you didn't." Shinji replied, "I don't wanna go through that again." The effect of Kensuke's tranquilizers weren't harmful, but they did make him unpleasantly dizzy, an effect that persisted for a whole hour after waking. The boy stared at the Medical Officer who'd slapped him just a short while ago. With every meeting, he felt like their relationship soured more and more. He wanted to say something, anything, but he didn't know how he could ever make it right. "Miss Suzuhara..." he said, at last. "I'm-"

"Sorry." she finished for him, "I know. And I'm sorry I hit you."

"Well, I guess I had it coming." the boy said, fabricating a smile, "It's just... I mean I..." He wouldn't have time to finish. The door whooshed open, and in stepped a middle aged man, dressed in an inexpensive three piece suit, with his blonde hair slicked back. On either side of him stood a UN soldier, wearing a dark grey uniform and holding an assault rifle.

"Shinji Ikari?" he asked the boy, in an accent that sounded East European.

"Yes." Shinji said, evidently nervous, "That's me..."

"My name is Gustav Falkenrath." he told him, "German representative for the United Nations. And I hereby place you under arrest."

* * *

Deep in the bowels of NERV HQ, Project Gemini stirred in it's containment tube. It's growth was coming along nicely, and they expected it to be fully grown within the next few days. There were however, a few undeniable setbacks. "The subject's memories were implanted without incident," Kozo informed his Commander, "But the Identity Programming was far less successful. Project Gemini's psyche is merely a warped reflection of the original. The mind scan indicates signs of highly volatile emotions, and a level of empathy below that of the average human being. On top of that, the differences in appearance, while subtle, are too noticeable to pass for as the real thing." The Vice Commander let out a deep sigh, more out of relief than disappointment. "It appears our experiment was a failure."

"Perhaps," Gendo mused as he bathed in the amber glow of the test tube, "But even a failure opens doors to future possibilities, and a failed experiment is not necessarily a useless one." The old man scratched at his beard, weighing his options. "I take it that the AAA Wunder has docked in Babylon by now?"

"Yes, Commander." Fuyutsuki confirmed, "The Mass Produced Evangelion made perfect bait. WILLE were forced to remain in the city for repairs, and the Third Child will stand trial in front of the United Nations, just as we predicted."

"Excellent." said Ikari as he examined his creation, "That should give us all the time we need. We'll have to make a few adjustments to it's memories. I'll send you the soecifications first thing this evening. Once that's done, prepare to deploy Project Gemini, as soon as it reaches maturity. With any luck, it should arrive in Babylon before the week is out."

"As you wish, Commander." Fuyutsuki said, with a sense of resignation. Gendo left the room without another word, and his partner found himself alone, gazing in silent dread upon the silver-haired young man they had created.

_To Be Continued..._


	5. The Trial

**Evangelion**

**Gemini Rising**

By Rollinaround

Episode 5

The Trial

* * *

The Tower of Babel was a beautiful place to be sure, especially in this age. The floors were made of polished marble, an excess, even before Third Impact. The walls were made from stainless steel, the gleamed in the morning sun, and making the building feel pure, and clean. The tower stretch high above the centre of Babylon, seeming to piece the heavens as it rose into the sky. In times long past, the new tower would have beem gorgeous, but in this era, it was a wonder.

The Tower of Babel was the seat of Government in the Post Impact world. At the very top lay the House of Councillors, below it, the House of Representatives. At the bottom lay the Babylon Council, which dealt with local matters, and the concerns of their citizens. And right in the middle, sat the Halls of Justice, where Shinji Ikari waited for the world government to decide his fate.

The courtroom, like the rest of the building, was beautifully made. The floor beared the image of a four pointed star, with wavy lines stretching out diagonally: the symbol of Shamash, God of justice, and the sun. The room was shaped like a giant ring, with the jury staring down at him from all sides, and the judges bench right at the back. The design made Shinji extremely uncomfortable. It felt as if the city was judging him; accusing him from every direction.

The other Children waited outside. Misato was elsewhere, preparing their appeal in the event of a guilty verdict. As friends of the defendant, Asuka and Mari were forbidden to sit on the jury, but they at least helped him prepare. "Tell them anything you can to soften the sentence." Asuka had told him. She made it sound like a guilty verdict was inevitable. But to be fair, it probably was. He was on trial for causing Third and Fourth Impact which, for all intents and purposes, he had.

"Just do what you can to make yourself sound better, and make NERV sound worse." Mari added, "But don't lie. Being honest'll get you a long way in this case."

"Thank you both." Shinji told them. He did his best to look brave, but he couldn't stop his hands from shaking.

Asuka took the boys hands in her own. "Don't be scared." she said, firmly.

"I'm sorry." he replied, shuddering in fear, "I can't help it. I don't want to be taken away from my friends, and locked away for the rest of my life. But I... I feel like I deserve it."

Asuka tightened her grip on him. "It's alright." she said, "You'll get through this. Even if the worst happens, we'll come and visit you whenever we're in town."

"Promise?" Shinji asked, cursing himself for such a childish response.

"Promise."

"Thank you." Shinji said, fabricating a smile. "You're a good friend, Asuka."

"Yeah." she replied, cautiously, "You too."

"All rise!" the Bailiff's voice echoed through the halls, snapping Shinji back to reality. A dignified, middle-aged woman approached the bench, clad in a red blazer and skirt, with her hair tied up in a neat bun. She sat down, watching carefully as a long line of representatives took their seats in front of her. Shinji was to stand trial before the leader of the United Nations herself, with her fellow representatives acting as witnesses. Of course, the title of representative beared little meaning nowadays. Many of the countries they represented were no longer in existence. It was more of a world government than a coalition of nations.

The acting judge cleared her throat. "Court is now in session for the trial of Shinji Ikari; Representative Diu Huan presiding." She began to rattle off the names of the representatives. Each of them were free to question him, and the witnesses, but Representative Han alone would pass judgement. "Representing Belgium, Monsieur Jean Portier. Representing Germany, Herr Gustav Falkenrath. Representing the Philippines..." Shinji tuned the rest out. What did it matter to him. He didn't know any of these people.

"Mr Ikari," Ms Diu began, "You stand accused of manslaughter on a grand scale. The first case being the triggering of Third Impact on January 1st 2016, the second being the triggering of Fourth Impact on March 18th 2030. How do you plead?"

"Not guilty." Shinji replied, "On both counts."

"Now hearing the opening statement from the Prosecution."

The trial went on for a good three days. The defense's main argument was that the defendant had no way of predicting the consequences of an awakening. The prosecution, however, argued that ignorance of consequence did not exonerate Shinji for his role in Third Impact, as he had, for all intents and purposes, retired from piloting at the time, and had been expressly forbidden from doing so by the Organisation of WILLE.

"The defendant relinquished his right to pilot in 2015, and was legally banned from doing so in 2030. He had no business piloting at the time of the incident, and the entire human race suffered as a result."

"My client was coerced into working with NERV." Shinji's lawyer countered, "Gendo Ikari pressured him to pilot Unit-01 fifteen years ago, and was kidnapped by the enemy, for the purpose of causing another Impact. The blame lies at NERV's feet. My client is an innocent patsy, a pawn in the game of the real culprit."

"Regardless of whether or not the defendant was manipulated, he still maintained some form of autonomy." The prosecution replied. "Unless he was incapable of refusing to pilot, we must accept that he is at least partially liable for the awakening of Units 01 and 13."

Each side called their witnesses, mostly former workers at NERV, the crew of the AAA Wunder, and survivors who had known Shinji before Third Impact. The defense called witnesses like Makoto Hyuga, Kensuke, and a few of Shinji's coworkers from RD. The prosecution, on the other hand, called people like Midori Kitakami, and a number of former Tokyo 3 residents, traumatised by the Third Impact. The defenses aim was to put the blame on NERV for forcing him to pilot the Eva, and paint Shinji as a noble, decent human with nothing but good intentions. The prosecution had the opposite goal: to prove that Shinji made a choice to pilot at the time of Third Impact, and to portray him as a reckless individual who could believably pilot Eva-13 of his own free will.

"I have one final question before the court convenes to decide the verdict." the Representative for Egypt declared, "Mr Ikari, were you made aware of your role in Third Impact, before you piloted Unit-13?"

"Yes sir." Shinji admitted. "I was told that if I piloted Eva-13, I could turn the world back to the way it was before."

"You never considered that you might have been manipulated?"

Shinji felt his heart pounding. He had a terrible foreboding, but he had to tell the truth. "No sir."

In the end, the Jury determined that Shinji did not have the prior knowledge to be convicted for his actions at the time of Third Impact. Unfortunately, they unanimously decided that, despite all other factors, Shinji had sufficient knowledge and autonomy to be held at least partially responsible for the events of Fourth Impact. Everyone seemed to agree that he should have known better.

"Shinji Ikari." Miss Huan announced, "You have been found guilty of manslaughter. Do you have anything to say before I pass sentence?"

Shinji took a deep breath, trying his best to look brave. He knew going in that he would be found guilty, but it didn't make it any easier.

"I know I've done wrong." he said, shuddering as he spoke, "But I never meant to hurt anyone. I was only trying to help. I know what I did was stupid, but I was desperate, and frightened. I didn't know what my father was doing, or who to trust. I understand, I need to be punished. I just want you to know why I did what I did."

There was a long pause before his sentence was passed. "Given the circumstances, and the nature of your actions, I sentence you to imprisonment aboard the AAA Wunder, until such a time that you are no longer considered a danger to the world at large. You are forbidden from leaving the ship for any reason, without a military escort and the express written consent of Colonel Katsuragi." She banged her gavel.

Shinji felt his heart skip a beat. He couldn't believe his luck. He was pretty much WILLE's prisoner already, so nothing of importance would change. The only thing that worried him was the indefinite length of his sentence. Until he was no longer a threat to the world. Who knew when that would be, or even if it was possible. He thought back to the Hamasakis; the family he'd made in Elysium. Would he ever see them again?

"That's not seriously it?" Falkenrath protested. "This boy is responsible for the death of millions. Compared to that, this is a slap on the wrist!"

"And what would you have me do Gustav?" Huan asked, "Execute a child?" The German sputtered for a moment, before returning to his chair. "You may go, Shinji."

The boy was greeted by his friends, outside the courtroom. Mari was ecstatic, practically pouncing on the boy. The others were, thankfully, more reserved but still happy to see him.

Suzu's trial was held the same day, and was even more complicated. The main argument revolved around whether or not she had independence at the time, if she had any concept of disobeying orders, or could even be considered human, and subject to the same legal rights. At the end of the day, the court agreed that she had just enough of a personality to be considered human, but could not be held responsible. Before Fourth Impact, she simply couldn't imagine a life without following orders. However, the girl was too useful, and far too dangerous to be set free. So it was decided that she would be kept a prisoner of war, until further notice.

They met her outside, just like Shinji, but Suzu got a much more awkward reception.

She noticed the boy almost immediately, going over to him and bowing politely. "Hello again, Shinji."

"Um, hello..." he replied. "How- how are you?" He was a little less angry at her, but she still made him uncomfortable at best.

"We'd better go." Ritsuko said, "They're about to close for the day."

They left the tower, with Suzu taking up the rear.

"Do yourself a favor." Asuka whispered, staring deep into the girl's red eyes. "Stay away from Shinji."

"I have no intention of harming him." Suzu insisted, "You do not trust me?"

"No," Asuka replied, bluntly, "I don't think you're here by chance. I think you're here for a reason, even if you don't know it yet. Way I see it, Gendo's still using yiu to get to us, to get to Shinji." The others stepped out into the moonlight, but Asuka blocked Suzu's path.

"So, if you don't wanna hurt him, back off, because all you can do is hurt him."

* * *

In times of war, the lives of the populace are often left forever altered, and this was no exception. In the space of just a few hours, the earth had been thrown into chaos. Not only were countless lives brought to a screeching halt, governments collapsed, whole civilisations disappeared in an instant, and the planet's environment was turned on it's head. It was far easier to count those who didn't have their lives thrown into disarray. That said, Rick Morgan could very well be among those lucky few. Before Third Impact, Rick had been a simple taxi driver, from a very small family, and fourteen years on, none of that really changed. His kin were all lucky enough to survive the disaster, and even in such a barren world, people still needed transportation. Now, Rick lived as a shuttle pilot, moving people from settlement to settlement. It wasn't a great job, but it kept his family well fed, and it was nice to shoot the shit with his passengers every now and then.

Unfortunately, the shuttle was empty on this trip, save for a lone teenager. The kid had been picked up in Outpost 7, and remained dead quiet for most of the journey, keeping his head low. For the longest time, Rick thought the boy had fallen asleep. With noone to talk to, he turned on the radio, tuning it to the world's most popular station: Babylon FM. BFM was a goverment station, based in the world capital and it broadcasted across the planet. They boasted an absolute smorgasbord of entertainment, from music, to radio plays, to call-in shows and, of course, the news. There was a brief moment of static before the voice of presenter Michael Simmons emitted from the radio "You're listening to the Nine O'Clock News on Babylon FM. Our first story this morning: the trial of Shinji Ikari is schedule to commence this afternoon. The former Third Child was recovered a few days ago, following an incident in the city of Elysium."

They played back a recording of Shinji's story. It was heavily edited to protect sensitive information, but the heart of it remained intact. "I am so, so sorry for the people I've hurt." the boy's voice echoed through the air bus, "But I'm not a monster! And I shouldn't be scapegoated for something I never even wanted." Rick's passenger looked up, blonde locks showing from beneath his hood. "I want to make things right, I want to help in any way I can. Please, let me help."

The driver shook his head as the broadcast switched back to Mr Simmons. "The ex-Pilot was placed under arrest last week, after an intense battle with NERV's latest weapon, a Mass Produced Evangelion. Babylon's top scientists have examined the remains, but were unsuccessful in uncovering new information. Meanwhile, affected districts are struggling to recover. The Industrial District has reported production down by a staggering 38%, and the Residential areas-"

Rick turned the thing off. He was in no mood for bad news today. "Damn..."he said, imagining the carnage the people must have lived through. "You sure you wanna go to Babylon, kid?"

"Yes" the young man said, without a hint of emotion.

Rick stared at the boy, studying him, trying to piece together what he was thinking behind those thin, brown eyes. The kid was a mystery. "Well, you're the boss." Rick conceded, "Not sure why you'd wanna live there, sounds like it's turning into a warzone.

"There's someone I have to meet." he said, "Someone very important to me. Someone, I have to protect."

"Looks like you found me in the nick of time." Rick mused, "Don't know how much longer Babylon's gonna stand after that mess." he took out a cigarette, igniting it with a Star Spangled lighter. "You gonna need me to get out of there?"

"No." the kid said, firmly, "When I get into town, I'm going to board the Wunder."

"Oh yeah," Rick said, "They'll still be in town won't they? Took a hell of a beating in that little standoff, didn't they?" He looked the kid over. He couldn't have been older than 16, but WILLE was known to recruit teenagers in the past. "Guess it makes sense though. With Babylon under attack, the Wunder may be the safest place on Earth." It was a testament to the state of things that such a place could be considered safe. "So this person you're 'sposed to meet, who're they?" The passenger remained quiet. "Ah well, not my business I guess."

"They're someone very special to me." came the reply, "That's all that matters."

"You know where to find him?"

"I know exactly where he is." the boy said, looking up and revealing his slender face and thin, slanted eyes, "I'm going to find him, and bring him home, no matter what it takes." There was fire in his eyes, that spoke to a deep well of resolve.

"Well, good luck to you kid." said the pilot, exhaling tobacco smoke. "What did you say you're name was?" The was a long, uncomfortably pause as the boy stared at his driver, as if studying some new, alien lifeform.

"Akio..." he said at last.

"Well, I hope you find this 'special person', Akio." Rick said as the shuttle came in to land, "And you two look after each other, ya hear? That's all anyone can do, in a world as screwed up as this."

Akio stepped out of the air bus without another word, breathing in the fresh air as he looked gazed upon the beautiful city: a bustling metropolis, home to thousands.

Each and every one of them, his enemy.


	6. Episode 6

Project Gemini stormed through the halls of the AAA Wunder, rifle in hand. He couldn't believe how easy it had been to get onboard. The battle with MP-001 had left a huge hole in the side of the ship, allowing him to slip through with noone the wiser. By the time they caught onto him, the ship was already in the air. A pair of guards stood at the end of the hallway, the guns trained on the him, but Gemini shot them down before they had a chance to pull the trigger.The door remained shut, locked with a code known only to high-ranking personnel. Project Gemini dug his fingers into the gap and slowly forced it open, breaking the locks in the process.

"Intruder alert!" a young woman's voice blared through the speakers, "We are under attack by an unidentified human. Early teens, approximately five feet tall, hair color-" A hail of bullets smashed the speaker to bits, leaving behind a pile of shattered metal and frayed circuits.

"Remember," Gendo said into his earpiece, "Your mission is to retrieve the Third Child. Disregard any secondary objective of the primary goal is placed in jeopardy." Gemini smiled to himself. NERV had given him the unique ability to sense the Shinji Ikari's presence, and he could tell he was getting close.

"Yeah yeah, I know."

"If you happen across the Second or Fourth child, kill them." said the Commander, "But do not harm Colonel Katsuragi. We still have a use for her."

"What about Unit-01?" Gemini asked.

"Leave it for now." Gendo ordered, "It will come to us, in time."

The humanoid shrugged his shoulders. "You're the boss."

Suddenly, the door to his side whooshed open, and a member of WILLE sprung from the darkness, aiming a pistol at his head. "See you in hell!"

He pulled the trigger, but a flash of orange light knocked him off his feet, and the bullet fell harmlessly to the ground. The artifical human shot him a malicious smirk, before he grabbed the young man by the face and drove his head into the steel wall. The soldier cried out in pain as Gemini beat his head against the wall, bashing him again and again until the poor man's head was left a pile of red mush. Project Gemini let the corpse go, staring at the blood on his hand before wiping it off on his sleeve, like he had merely squashed a fly.

Shinji lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He was still trying to process what had happened back at the courthouse.

"I knew you'd get off light." Mari had told him, "Representative Diu's always been a big softie."

Still, after everything that had happened, everything he'd done, he couldn't get over the fact he had gotten off so light. He'd even been aacquitted of causing Third Impact. "I dunno," He'd said, "It kinda feels like I escaped justice..."

"That's one of the dumbest things you've ever said, Bratty Shinji!" Asuka had said, "Are you really such an idiot you don't even know when you've won."

Shinji chuckled as he looked back on it. Perhaps he was that stupid. He was still under indefinite house arrested, and even though he'd been found not guilty in the case of Third Impact, he doubted the crew would see it that way. Then again, he was still amongst friends, instead of locked away in a cold, dark cell in Babylon. Maybe this was a victory.

His victory was short lived, however. He heard a wretched scraping sound ahead of him as the bedroom door was pulled open.

"Found ya~"

A young man crept into the room, a serene smile on his face as he pulled down his hood.

Shinji couldn't believe what he was seeing. The resemblance was uncanny. There were some noticeable differences: his hair was blonde, his eyes were thin and brown, his face was sharper and there was a small but noticeable height difference. But still, it was almost a perfect copy.

Staring back at him, was another Shinji Ikari.

"Hello, brother."

* * *

**Evangelion**

**Gemini Rising**

By Rollinaround

Episode 6

Another Me

* * *

"Who... who are you?" Shinji asked, stepping back in horror as he gazed upon a mirror version of himself.

"So it's true, what the old man said?" The doppelganger seemed vaguely sad as he followed his targets movements. "You really don't remember." He stepped forward, offering Shinji his hand. "I, Shinji, am Akio Ikari, your little brother."

"Brother?" He shrank away from the strange boy. "I don't have a brother." But then again, did he? His memories of his mother had been erased. Could he really have had a long lost brother that had been wiped from his mind? Could he even trust his own memories, when they could be deleted just like that?

Akio smiled at him. "I know it's very hard to understand," he said, "But I promise you it will all make sense, once we get you back home." He wrapped his hand around Shinji's wrist, and the boy immediately began to panic.

"H- home?" he yelped, as his supposed brother dragged him to his feet, "What are you talking about?"

"I have to take you back to father." said Akio, "So we can be a family again, and so we can realize our destiny."

"What?" Shinji said. "Oh no, I'm not going back with you." He pulled himself free of Akio's grip. "I'm never going back there."

"You really want to stay here?" the boy asked him, "Be a prisoner all your life?"

"No." said Shinji, "But it's better than going back to dad. I'm gonna be a prisoner, one way or the other. Here, I have people who care about me at least."

"You're so confused..." Akio said, a tiuch of pity in his voice as he grabbed the boy's arm again. "It's alright. Just come with me and everything will be fine."

Shinji punched the boy in the face.

"I refuse!" Shinji yelled. "Now take a hint, get off this plane, and just leave me alone!"

A small, creepy giggle echoed through thr room as Akio got to his feet. "That's how it's gonna be huh?" he said, "Alright then. You want to play?" He dropped into a shotokan stance with ease, as if he'd been practicing for years. "Let's play."

He sprung at Shinji, throwing a number of solid punches. He fought very aggressively, taking a step forward with every punch, beating his fists against Shinji's A.T Field until it fizzled out. Akio floored the kid with roundhouse kick to the head. "Give up?"

Shinji glared at the blonde as he pulled himself back up. "I've been shot in the leg and still kept fighting." he said, "This is nothing."

Akio grinned as he lunged at the boy, but Shinji ducked under his arm, tackling him to the ground before he could summon his barrier. The boy tried to punch Akio while he was down, but his fists bounced off the lookalike's A.T Field, and Akio rolled backwards, throwing the kid off of him. "You're fun." he said, getting down on one knee and launching himself at Shinji at a speed exceeding what most humans were capable of.

Shinji dropped to the floor, barely avoiding a high straight kick that left a dent in the steel wall. He grabbed the clone's leg, lifting him over his shoulder and slamming Akio against the florr, but again the A.T Field left the clone totally unharmed. Shinji was just about to try again when Akio wrapped his legs around Shinji's arm and neck. The boy choked as his assailant tightened his grip, pulling on Shinji's arm until he felt like it was going to pop out of it's socket. He felt to the ground, writhing in pain as Akio choked the life out of him.

**"He is beating you." **Zeruel said, dryly.

'I noticed!' he shot back. 'You got anything useful to say?'

**"Just do everything you can to force him off you."**

Shinji rolled his eyes. 'Thank you, that helps a lot!' he thought, kicking away at the clone's A.T Field to no effect.

**"Remember,"** Zeruel added, **"This is a real fight. There are no rules. All that matter is victory, nothing else."**

Shinji slapped himself in the head, as if trying to force an idea into his head. 'Come on, think you idiot!' he told himself, 'What... what would Sensei do?'

He thought back to his training in Elysium, under the wise, yet eccentric tutelage of Mr Wilson Clarke. The old Englishman had always told him to be pragmatic in battle; to always try the simplest solution, to know his own weaknesses, and to take advantage of his opponent's. 'What can I do?' he asked, 'What'll make him release the hold? What won't he be expecting?' And then, inspiration struck him like a lightning bolt, and he knew at once what to do.

He bit Akio's leg.

The copy yelped in pain as Shinji sank his teeth into his leg. He let go, and the air rushed into Shinji's lungs as he felt his windpipe open once more.

"You asshole!" Akio growled, kicking the boy away, "That's cheating!"

Shinji flashed him a cocky grin. "This is a fight, 'little brother'" he said, "There's only one rule here: win."

Akio glared at the boy as he watched Shinji get up onto all fours. The kid had actually managed to hurt him, if only a little. In the blink of an eye, Akio's expression changed from one of anger, to one of joy. "Have it you're way." he said, "It's more fun this way." He sprung forth, unleashing a rush of vicious kicks that Shinji barely managed to stop, using his A.T Field to block the ones he couldn't avoid. Akio threw another roundhouse kick, but this time Shinji expected it. He ducked, and the kick missed him by a country mile, leaving Akio's back exposed.

Shinji's moment had come at last. He pressed his hands against the clones back, shoving him away and giving Shinji some space. He charged at Akio, leaping into the air, curling his legs, and letting himself fall backwards. He hit the boy with a shotgun dropkick, putting all his strength into his legs and blasting Akio through the bathroom door. Shinji lay on the floor, chuckling to himself as he sat back up. He'd forgotten what it was like to be in a real fight, the rush of adrenaline that drove him wild when he struck someone.

The bathroom was an absolute mess. Much of the room had been destroyed. The steel sink had a huge dent in it, and the toilet was leaking water everywhere. At the back of the bathroom, buried in the shower amongst a pile of broken glass, sat Akio. Water spilled from the broken water pipe, washing away the blonde hair dye and fake tan to reveal the albino skin and silvery locks beneath. The boys contacts had been knocked out, revealing a bare of deep, red eyes, the same color as the liquid that dripled from his head. Akio took one look at his hand, and the warm blood that spilled from a gash in his palm. He let out a high pitched whine, weeping like a child who'd scraped his knee for the first time.

Feeling a sting of guilt and pity for the boy, Shinji approached him cautiously. "Listen..." he said, "I- I'm really sorry. Please, just leave me by and..."

He was answered with a punch to the face, harder than anything he'd ever felt. The strike sent him hurtling backwards, landing in a pile on the floor as Akio stepped out of the bathroom.

"Fine!" he screamed, marching towards Shinji, his eyes glowing with rage. "Father said to bring you back alive..." Shinji got to his feet, ready for another round, but Akio's barrier collapsed in on itself, forming a ball like shape and blasting the boy across the room, into the wall. "He didn't say anything about being conscious!"

Akio grabbed hold of Shinji's leg, dragging him over to the bed. Once there he lifted the boy onto his shoulders, raised him high into the air, amd powerbombed him through the bed. The thick wooden frame snapped in half like a matchstick, leaving Shinji laying in a pile of splintered wood. The clone had been a tough fight before but now, now that he had stopped holding back, it seemed insurmountable.

Shinji barely had time to catch his breath before Akio leapt into the air, landing on Shinji's gut. The A.T Field may have saved his life, but the force was more than enough to send him through the thin, steel floor. Shinji groaned as he landed in the brig below, his whole body wracked with intense pain. He tried to get up one or tine, but Akio just dragged the teen up by his hair, striking him in the chest with a solid punch that sent him back several feet, and knocked him out cold.

Finally taking a moment to calm down, Akio stared at Shinji's crumpled up body. "Oh!" he said, "Sorry big brother, I guess I got a little carried away." He slung the boy over his shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll take you home, dad will fix you up and then, then we'll be a family again."

And that's when he caught sight of her. A pale skinned young woman, with eyes a red as a polished rub, and hair the color of the ocean. Akio was stunned, so much so that he let the boy fall from his arms. He had never seen this girl before, not once. And yet, there was an inescapable sense of familiarity whenever he looked upon her. "Who... are you?" He asked, stepping closer towards her cell. "My dad never said anything about you."

He got closer, examining her snow white skin, red eyes and cyan hair. "By God, you're like me..."

He winced in pain as something pierced his side, and a deafening bang echoed down the halls. He looked down to see a tiny hole in his side, leaking scarlet fluid. He whipped around just in time to see Colonel Katsuragi aiming a pistol at his head. Misato fired again, but the clones A.T Field stopped the bullets in their tracks. "Step away from the cell!" She ordered him.

Akio was about to lunge at her when he remembered his orders: whatever you do, leave the Colonel alive. "As you wish..." He sneered, before he rammed himself into the next room, blasting a hole in the wall and disappearing out of sight.

"Get after him!" Misato barked as her men gave chase. "Do not let the target escape!" She rushed over to Shinji's motionless body. He was alive, but badly injured. His arm was broken, his ribs had been cracked, and he was bleeding profusely. "This is Captain Katsuragi!" She yelled into her comm device. "I need a medic down in the brig, immediately!"

"Copy that!"

She knelt over Shinji, putting her hand over his chest. There was still a hearbeat, but it was faint.

"Come on Shinji." she whispered, "Stay with me."


	7. Take Care Of Yourself

**A/N**: A few things on Akio, before we begin. I had originally conceived the character as an arc villain in another story (which I might still make one day). In this scenario, he would have been an alternate future version of Shinji, who became embittered from the events of 3.0, and ultimately fell to evil, becoming an omnicidal sociopath.

Later, while I was writing Part 1, I thought to make Project Gemini a major villain in a hypothetical Part 3, after the main story had concluded. Originally, I had meant for Part 2 to mostly focus on Shinji's growth as a person, with him remaining a non-action character until the climax. But I quickly realised that would be a huge letdown after everything that happened in Part 1, so I gave Shinji soneone to fight against and had the character debut in Gemini Rising and made him an example of what Shinji could become. Not another Gendo, but a similar person, with all of Shinji's worst traits, taken to the extreme.

One more little fun fact, while I was doing my research for Gemini Rising, I found that Shinji Ikari was born on the 6th of June in 2001, meaning he was born under the constellation of Gemini. I wish I could say that was on purpose, but it's just a lucky coincidence.

Anyway I've rambled for long enough, so I'll just let you guys read the chapter already. Enjoy.

-Rollinaround

* * *

**Evangelion**

**Gemini Rising**

By Rollinaround

Episode 7

Take Care Of Yourself

* * *

"What happened?" asked Gendo as his latest project sat on the streets of Babylon. Akio had taken refuge in one of the alleyways, and was currently stitching up his wound with the help of some stolen medical supplies.

"I don't know." Akio replied, wincing as the needle pierced his skin, "Everything was going fine, but then I just ran into this weird girl." He bit into the thread, severing it as he finished binding the hole in his side. "She looked, she looked like me." he said, "Pale skin, red eyes... Who is she, dad? Why does she look like me?"

"Don't worry about her." the commander said, "Leave her be. All that matters is retrieving your brother. Anything else is either secondary, or unimportant. Is that understood?"

"Yeah," Akio whispered, "I get you."

"Good, return to HQ when possible, and we'll prepare you for your next mission.

NERV severed the connection, giving Ikari and Fuyutsuki the freedom to speak in private. "One mission and he's already starting to ask inconvenient questions." Kozo said, "I fear this bodes poorly for us."

"It matters little." said Gendo, "We knew he was unstable, and there was always a risk of him encountering the Ayanami Type." He adjusted his glasses, thinking of plans for the future. He still has some use to us, for now. We'll allow him to exist until a more, refined clone is produced, then we'll dispose of him. I trust the killswitch is still functioning?"

"It is." said Fuyutsuki. He still felt slightly nauseous at the idea of taking a life, even an artificial ine, but he had learned to cope with it. One had to when they worked for Gendo Ikari.

"Excellent." said Gendo, "I shall retire to my study for the evening. In the morning we shall begin work on a new Ikari Type."

"Very well." Fuyutsuki said, bowing politely, "Have a good night, old friend."

And when the Commander was safely out of sight, Kozo took out a pen and paper, and began to write a note.

* * *

"You really want to stay here, be a prisoner all your life?"

Those words echoed in Shinji's mind, over and over as he dreamt. He'd been pondering that question ever since he left Elysium. He wasn't treated horribly. He'd been given his own room, as opposed to a cell, been given a job, and most of the crew treated him decently (the ones that mattered anyway). But he was still a prisoner here.

"No," he said, "But I'm not going to be here forever. I'm going to leave one day, and then I'll go find my family again."

"You really think they'll just let you go?" said Akio, smirking at him, "They'll never let you go."

Shinji remained silent. He didn't want to think about it but he didn't doubt it either. Even if his friends wanted to let him go, would they really let someone as dangerous as him walk free?

"Better that, than go back to NERV." he said. "At least here, I'm among friends."

The 10th Angel whispered to him next. **"Friends or not, you are still nothing but a slave." **It said, **"In the end, you are prisoner, to your father, or your adopted mother." **Shinji refused to look at the thing. **"As long as you are tied to NERV, or WILLE, you will never truly be free."**

"Shut up."

**"In a way, even the Hamasaki family have made you their slave, by relying on them. Your dependence on others makes you weak."**

"I can't help but rely on them." said Shinji, "The Hamasakis, Mari, Asuka, Misato, I'm nothing without them."

**"It doesn't have to be that way." **Zeruel replied, **"You can take what is rightfully yours, hone yourself until you stand above all others, the mightiest entity in all creation."**

"Why?" Shinji asked, "So I can be a slave to you instead?"

The Angel fell silent, retreating back into the shadows, to be replaced by Akio's smug face. "I see now. You will never be truly free."

Shinji bowed his head in shame. "That's fine. I don't deserve it."

"Then you have made the worst choice of all."

"Oh yeah?" the boy asked, "And what's that?"

The nightmare took on it's final form. a single human body, half Rei Ayanami, half Kaworu Nagisa. It spoke coldly, judging him, like so many others had done before.

"You've chosen, to be a slave of your own guilt."

* * *

_A few months earlier_

"I refuse!" Misato yelled, storming into her office with fury in her eyes.

"Listen to me, Captain!" Ritsuko insisted, forcing the door open, "I know how you feel but..."

"You know nothing!" Misato snapped. Ritsuko jumped back. She hadn't seen the Colonel this angry in quite some time. The woman collapsed in her chair, overwhelmed by the unfairness of the situation. "I understand." she said, "I know I can't treat him the way I did before. I know I have to be cold to him. I know I have to keep him locked away for the safety of my crew. But you come in here, and tell me to put a killswitch on a boy I haven't seen in 14 years? How am I supposed to react?" She reached into her draw, pulling out a flask of whisky. She'd been sober for more than a decade but this news, it could drove her back to alcoholism.

"I know." Ritsuko said, "It's a horrible thing to do, especially to someone his age. But he's already shown he can awaken Unit-01 subconsciously, even with a sync rate of 0.00. What do we do if another awakening occurs? Sit here and wait for death?"

"He's just a boy..." Misato said, desperately.

Ritsuko nodded, solemnly. "Yes," she said, "He is. But a boy with the power to end the world with a thought. We have to think about humanity as a whole."

Misato stayed silent.

"On top of that, several of our crew have expressed resentment or even hatred towards the Third Child." Ritsuko explained, "Our crew, for better or worse, is what keeps us alive. If they turn on us, then we're doomed."

"To hell with them!" Misato said, "What do they know? They never met him."

"But we still need them." Ritsuko told her, "We have to maintain the trust of our crew."

Misato took a big swig of her whisky. She wasn't a child, she knew her duty, she knew she had to loosen her morals for the greater good. But Shinji Ikari was practically family. And now she was expected to treat him like a criminal, to execute him if he disobeyed them? Was the world really that messed up?

"If it makes you feel better," Ritsuko said, "This is just as much for his safety as ours. There are people on board who wish harm on the boy. But the choker may deter them from attacking the Third Child."

Misato set the bottle on her desk, and a heavy sigh escaped her lips. Never had her duty felt like such a misery before. She wished she could just disregard the crew, tell them to go to hell if they didn't accept the boy. But it wasn't that simple. She could jail those who made an attempt on his life, but it would mean little if they killed him first. "Will it hurt him?"

"No." Ritsuko assured her, "The choker has a special procedure, designed to mitigate any pain the wearer might feel." She showed the woman a diagram, depicting a number of red, spear-like prisms, circling the choker. "Before detonation, these spears will generate a tiny Anti-A.T Field inside the wearers body, spreading through the nervous system and converting it to LCL. Should the worst happen, Shinji Ikari's will be ended without an ounce of pain."

Misato sat there, trying to delay her decision for as long as she could. As cruel as it sounded, all of Ritsuko's arguments made sense. WILLE was the last hope of the human race, and as Colonel, she had a duty to put them before the life of one boy, even if that boy was someone she loved. "God forgive us..." She whispered, "Do it."

"Yes Colonel." Ritsuko said, "I'll tell Shinji that I'm responsible for the choker. You shouldn't have to bear the blame for this."

"No." Misato said firmly, "It was my choice to make. I must take responsibility for this, even if Shinji hates me for it."

The Colonel gazed at the security feed, showing the Containment Chamber, where Shinji Ikari lay sleeping. The coffin-like design of the chamber was not lost on her. "He looks so peaceful..." She said, choking back tears as she tried to block out the memories of their time together.

"I'm sorry, Shinji."

* * *

Shinji awoke in clean, white room, with the bright ceiling lights shining in his eyes. He tried to move, but stopped when he felt a sharp pain in his left arm. It was broken, held in place by a plaster cast. "What happened?" He wondered allowed, "Where am I?"

"The AAA Wunder's medical facility, Ward 3." Shinji looked up to see Sakura Suzuhara gazing down at him. "You received some serious injuries." She told him, "Nothing potentially fatal, but you'll be here for a while."

Shinji looked around. The ward was mostly empty, save for a few soldiers, nursing their wounds. He expected that was on purpose, to keep him safe. "I remember," he said, "There was this weird boy, who tried to take me back to NERV. Said he was my brother and..."

"I heard." said the Lieutenant, "We tried to capture him, but he escaped, reopening a hole in the ship."

Shinji lay back, deep in thought. He dearly hoped he'd seen the last of Akio Ikari, but he doubted it. The boy seemed to be obsessed with his "big brother". Shinji was certain he'd see Akio again. "How are the others?"

"I won't sugar coat it." she said, "We've taken quite a few casualties, and even more people injured. It's good we stayed to recruit some extra men in Babylon, otherwise we'd be in a lot of trouble."

Shinji rolled over in bed. He didn't want Sakura to see him. "It's my fault." he whispered, "He came here for me. If it wasn't for me, they'd still be alive."

"That's ridiculous." said Sakura, "We planned to keep you in our custody from the very beginning. And besides, the UN insisted that you stay with us. You had literally no agency in this." Shinji said nothing. He didn't buy it, but he didn't feel like talking back. Arguing was exhausting. Sakura shook her head at the boy. "It's like Captain Shikinami says, you really do think like a child sometimes."

"I'm sorry." the boy grumbled, "I don't mean to."

The young woman sighed. "Well, maybe this will cheer you up a bit: you have visitors."

Shinji perked up a little. "Who?"

The doors slid open, and in stepped Asuka Shikinami, Mari Makinami, and Misato Katsuragi. Shinji jolted up in bed, but he felt a stinging pain in his arm, and fell back against the mattress. "Mi- Misa- I mean, Captain Katsuragi." he said.

The Captain nodded politely as she approached. "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty terrible." Shinji said, bluntly, "I basically took the worst beating I've ever had, at least outside of an Eva."

Misato looked the boy over as the pilots took their seats at Shinji's side. "How's recovery going?"

"As well as it can." Sakura told her, "It looks far worse than it is. As far as we can tell, the assailant wasn't trying to kill him."

"He wasn't." Shinji said, "He said he had orders to take me back to NERV, alive."

"That reminds me," said Misato, "We'd like to ask you some questions about the attacker."

"Not much to tell you." Shinji replied, "He was, crazy. He said his name was Akio. He claimed he was my younger brother, and that my memories of him were erased."

"You believe that?"

"No." Shinji said, "I mean, it's not impossible; I've had my memory wiped before, like what happened to my Mother. But Akio, I don't think he's my brother. He's not like me he... he looked like Kaworu."

"Your, co-pilot?"

"Yes." The boy closed his eyes. It still hurt to think about his fallen friend. "He looked normal at first but, it was just a disguise. Silver hair, pale skin, red eyes. It was like a weird mash-up of me and Kaworu." From there, he described their fight in detail. How he'd struggled to pierce the clones A.T Field, how he'd finally managed to get one over on the kid, blasting him across the room, and how Akio had gone berserk and beat the living hell out of him. "Last thing I remember, he stomped on me and knocked me threw the floor. After that I passed out."

"You're one lucky kid." Mari said, "If it wasn't for Suzu, you'd be back in Tokyo 3 right now."

"Suzu?" Shinji asked, "Who's Suzu?"

"That's the name the Ayanami type chose for herself." Misato explained. In a way it made sense. Rei and Suzu, in essence different words for the same thing. Similar yet dissimilar, just like her. "Apparently your fa- Gendo, didn't tell Akio about her, and it confused him. Gave me just enough time to put a bullet in him."

"He's alive?"

"As far as we know."

Shinji's hands curled into fists. He felt bad, fighting again after what happened in Elysium. Still, being defeated so thoroughly felt wrong, in a way he couldn't quite describe. "He was like me but, stronger." The words left a bad taste in his mouth.

"I see." Misato said, "Is there anything else you can tell us."

"I don't think so." He averted his gaze, and Sakura knew something was up.

"There is one small thing ma'am." she said, "He's been blaming himself for what happened with Akio." Shinji winced. He knew she meant well, but why did she have to tell her that.

"Is this true?" Misato asked. Shinji nodded, yes. The woman crouched down at the foot of his bed, staring right into his eyes. "Ikari," she said, using his surname in front of her crew, for the sake of decorum, "I want you to listen to me, and listen very closely." The boy felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. He sense one hell of a telling off, coming his way.

"It wasn't your fault." She said.

Shinji nearly felt his heart jump. "What?"

"No body could have predicted an attack from somebody like Akio." Said Misato, "We knew we were painting a target on our back, keeping you aboard, in fact we've been targeted by NERV for the past 14 years. I place no blame on you for what happened today." The boy couldn't believe whar he was hearing. It was one thing to hear those words from Sakura, or Mari, or even Asuka. But to hear them from Misato, in front of her crew, no-less. It felt like it really meant something.

"How long will it take for him to recover?" Asuka asked.

"A couple of months." Sakura replied, "He'll be discharged in a couple of days, but he won't be able to return to work for at least a month."

"I'll return to work when I'm discharged."

"Don't be stupid!" Asuka snapped, "You need to give that arm time to heal. If you go put pressure on it it's just gonna get worse."

"I'll be fine." Shinji lied, "I'm just a lab assistant, it's no big deal. Besides, I need to get back to work."

"What you need is to get better." Misato told him. One of the crew scoffed at that. She ignored him. "I know what you do at your job, and I'm told it involves a lot of heavy lifting. Just do what your Medical Officer tells you, and let yourself heal. The people in RD will be fine." The boy sighed. She'd meant to reassure him, but instead she ended up reminding him that he wasn't really needed.

"One month," he said, "And no longer."

"Good." The colonel said, "Now get some rest, alright? That's an order."

Mari ruffled the boys hair as she got to her feet. "See you later, Puppy Boy!"

Her partner followed after the girl. "We'll see you when you get out. Ok, shrimp?"

Shinji kept up his smile as Asuka left, but something was stirring within him, something dark. He kept thinking of Gendo, the father who'd abandoned him. He'd drafted Shinji into his war, made him hurt his friends, tricked him into murdering countless innocents, and now, he'd sent some freakish copy after him, trying to drag him back to the hell he'd escaped from.

Shinji's right arm twitched as he grabbed at the air, as if squeezing at something that wasn't there, until it curled into a fist, and his knuckles turned white.

'Father...' He thought, 'If I ever see you again, I'll **murder **you!'

* * *

"So, did you enjoy your time with the Puppy boy?" Mari teased as she and Asuka headed back to the dorms.

"Will you stop that?" Asuka said, "I told you, I don't think of him like that."

The Fourth Child sniggered. "Come on Princess," she said, "You couldn't be more obvious if you tried." She scrunched her face up, and did her best impression of Asuka's voice. "'It's not like I like him or anything, baaaaaka.'"

"That's a terrible impression." Asuka said, "Besides, even if I was into him, which I'm not by the way, it wouldn't work. I'm different from then, I've changed too much."

"Oh yeah, huge change." Said Mari, "You've gone from a grumpy showoff with a chip on her shoulder, to an even grumpier showoff with a chip on her shoulder." Asuka had no answer for that. "Really, Princess, I don't know where you get off calling him a brat."

The Second Child took offense to that. "Well I'm not wrong, am I?"

"Never said that," Mari replied, "Just think you should look in the mirror once in a while."

"Thanks a lot..."

"You're welcome." Mari said, "Speaking of the Puppy, I heard they're going to move him to another room, once he gets discharged."

"Makes sense." Asuka said, "I mean he can't stay in his old room after what he and psycho boy did to the place. Any idea where they'll put him next?"

"Well there's no official word," said Mari, "But looking at it, the rest of the rooms are co-ed. Most of the crew is still on edge around Shinji, so that narrows it down a lot. Obviously he can't stay with the Captain or Doctor Akagi."

"What about Suzuhara?"

"Nah " Mari said, "Things still seem kinda tense between those two."

"Kensuke?"

"He's had to share with Reynolds." Said the Fourth Child, "Buuuut, there is one more room that should suit him. Two of our crew who might be happy to take him in."

"Oh, who?" And then it hit Asuka. "Oh no." She said, "Oh no..."

* * *

Mrs Cheng sat in her office, going through a small mountain of paperwork. It was the usual stuff: permits, complaints, legal and economical documents, nothing she wasn't used to. But there was more than usual this time. She also had to deal with the fallout of Shinji Ikari's trial.

When the question of putting the boy on trial had first come up, Cheng had resisted it, along with most of the council. He was still underage of course, and couldn't be held to the same standards of legal responsibility as an adult could. Falkenrath, on the other hand, had insisted that Ikari be held accountable. He argued that the boy was now 28 years old, which made him an adult, an thus legally responsible and fully autonomous, at least in regards to Fourth Impact. This was flawed thinking, for a number of reasons (his chronological age was debatable and his mental and emotional age was, as far as they could tell, still 14), but it was enough to just barely swing the majority of representatives in Falkenrath's favor.

The end result was, more or less, the same. Cheng still had the power to sentence him as she wished, and since there was no mandatory minimum on mass genocide, she was able to let the boy off with a slap on the wrist. But, although Falkenrath was an arrogant, blustering man, he wasn't a stupid one, and this was exactly what he'd planned for. By sticking to her morals she'd hurt her standing as world leader. Their were people amongst the UN, and the public, who felt that Cheng was too soft, and to them, the trial had confirmed that belief. She had gambled her reputation as a leader on that boy. If he messed up again, she would suffer dearly for it, but if it payed off, she would earn the trust and respect of the entire planet.

A young man stepped into the room, clad in a navy blue uniform, with a white flak jacket and sky blue armband. The man was from WILLE. "Can I help you?"

"I bring news from Colonel Katsuragi." He said, "We were attacked by an artificial human from NERV. It killed several of our crew, injuring many others."

"My condolences." Said the chairwoman, "We'll send some new recruits their way, when they reach the next outpost."

"That's not all." The man, "The assailant was a clone of the Third Child, bearing a near perfect resemblance, save for pale hair and skin, as well as a pair of red eyes. It displayed evidence of superhuman strength, and the ability to project an Absolute Territory Field."

"I see..." Cheng said, "And where is this clone now?"

"It fled the Wunder." He explained, "Highjacking an escape pod. It landed somewhere in Babylon, but its exact location is unknown."

"Anything else?"

"Nothing yet." The man said, "But we'll keep you informed."

"Thank you." Said Cheng. "You may go now."

This was disturbing news indeed. They effectively had a human killing machine on the streets, and one that, with the proper precautions, could hide in plain sight amongst the population. She could only guess at it's next move. Perhaps it would return to NERV to report sensative information from the Wunder, or it could return to the ship in an attempt on Katsuragi's life. Maybe it was here to bring down the city from the inside. Or maybe, worst of all, it was here for something far, far more important: the great red spear, hidden beneath the tower.


	8. Lost for Words

A/N:Yes I'm back. After weeks of IRL issues, annoying work hours, and procrastination, Gemini Rising is back fro, hiatus. I apologise to my followers who waited so long for this, and I promise to manage my time better im the future. Anyways, this chapter is very heavy on character and plot development, but I promise we'll get back into the action soon. Hope you enjoy Chapter 8.

-Rollinaround

* * *

**Evangelion**

**Gemini Rising**

By Rollinaround

Episode 8

Lost for Words

* * *

Shinji stood in the doorway, an awkward smile on his face, and a duffel bag in his left hand. He didn't have many possessions; just his clothes, wash bag and a few books he'd been allowed to take from his old room. Mari sat on the bed, delighting in the heavy tension that hung over the room like an executioner's axe. Her partner stood at the end of the room, looking like she was about to die from the sheer awkwardness of the situation as she struggled to find the words to say to their new roommate.

Mari knew Asuka well enough to know she wasn't going to make the first move, and what she knew of Shinji told her much the same of him. They'd be there all night if she just let them work it out themselves. "So, Puppy Boy," she said, "How do you like your new digs?"

"It's... nice." He replied. "It's um, a little bigger than my old room. Though, that's probably not gonna mean much with three of us in here." The room was decently sized, but it was dominated by a bunk bed, laying right in the centre. The placement of this bed left plenty of room for their furniture, but didn't give them much space to move about. "If... if it's not a bother, where will I sleep?"

'If it's not a bother.' Asuka couldn't imagine a more 'Shinji' thing to say. It was a perfectly normal question, but it made the coversation infinitely more cringeworthy, something she didn't think possible. He was a single boy, sharing a bedroom with two girls, one of whom never missed an opportunity to tease someone, and the other was, well, her. The situation was inherently uncomfortable.

"You'll be staying in here." She said at last, pulling open a sliding door to reveal a wardrobe, empty except for a lone futon bed. "We've taken out all our clothes and stuff, so there should be plenty of space. You can use the room when we're not around, and you're free to use the facilities. But don't leave your room when we're changing or anything, unless you want to suffer the death penalty."

"So cruel, Princess." Mari teased, "Keeping him locked up in that cubbyhole unless we're out of the room."

Asuka suddenly felt a pang of guilt. "H-hey, that's not what I meant!"

"No, it's ok, get it." Said Mari, "I guess I should have seen it coming. Like the thought of keeping him prisoner, do you~?"

"Not everyone has the same relationships you do..." Asuka growled.

"Please." Mari said, "I bet you're wishing you had a pair of hand-"

"It's fine." Said Shinji, sensing the Fourth Child was someone who didn't know when to stop, "I don't want to get in anybody's way, and you were here before me. Besides, it's my fault I had to move." He gave the redhead a low bow, "Thank you Asuka." He said, "That's very kind of you." Asuka groaned a little. If she didn't know Ikari, she'd swear he was being sarcastic. The kid had a special talent for making her feel bad for him, and he was just trying to be polite. "Well, I should probably go to bed now." Shinji said, "Dr Akagi needs me to come in early tomorrow."

"Uh, yeah." Asuka replied, "we- we've got an early start too." She stepped aside, letting Shinji into the closet. "Sleep we- have a- good night."

Shinji scratched the back of his head as he pulled the door shut. "Yeah... you too..."

Asuka sat back on her bed, letting the awkwardness fester until they were sure he was asleep. "Really Princess?" Mari snarked, "The Puppy walks in with that sad look on his face, and you send him to his room like a bad kid?"

"Oh shut up." Said Asuka, "There's barely enough room for both of us. Besides, you really want him to watch us changing? On second thought, don't answer that." She didn't look, but she could already see that cat-like smirk on Mari's face. Four-Eyes loved to make people squirm like that.

"That little pup looks up to you, you know?"

"So?" Asuka replied, "Doesn't mean I'm gonna go easy on him. Someone's gotta keep him out of trouble. If that means I have to be hard on him, I'm gonna be hard on him. That's how it goes. Life won't give him a free pass just because he's had it rough. Wasn't that way for me, or you, or anyone."

"He's doing his best." Mari pointed out.

"I know that!" Asuka snapped, "But that didn't stop him from trying to highjack Unit-01. He could have gotten everyone killed just by getting in that thing."

"He was just trying to save you, Princess."

"I don't need him to save me."

"Sure you don't." Mari said, beaming from ear to ear, "But you want him to. Don't you, Princess?" She got no answer. "He needs you. That much I know."

"Don't say that." Asuka groaned, "I'm not here to be his rock. I mean what the hell's he gonna do if something happens to me?"

"You could help him with that." Mari offered, "You know, teach him how to get by; how to cope when people don't need him." Asuka shook her head. As if she knew how to do that. "You could at least teach him to defend himself."

"Oh yeah," said Asuka, "That's gonna look great. Let's take a mentally unstable kid, who can end the world just by getting pissed off, and teach him how to fight. It's not like we've got people on board who think he's a threat or anything."

"Some people still think **we're** a threat." Mari reminded her. "They just keep their mouths shut because they need us. Besides, what's he gonna do if the wonder twin comes back? Hell, what are we gonna do?"

"I could take him." Asuka said, brashly, "I could take on Bratty Shinji, even if he was stronger than me."

"From what I heard it was pretty close." Mari said, "And then that Akio kid nearly murdered him. What do you think he'll do to you?" Asuka wouldn't answer that. "Or what if he shows up and you're not around. What's gonna happen to the puppy? Think about it, a little more training could make a big difference."

"Fine," Asuka said, "I'll talk to the Captain."

"I'm proud of you, Princess." Said Mari, "You learned an important lesson."

"Yeah? And what's that?"

The Fourth Child grinned like a Cheshire Cat. "Mari always wins."

"Oh piss off!"

* * *

Shinji Ikari laid on his bed, gazing up at the closet's unfamiliar ceiling (the latest in a very long line). His eyes were heavy, and his limbs felt like rubber but the boy couldn't get any sleep. He took a look at the clock the girls left him. 05:23. In the morning. Lights out was at 10PM. Seven hours without sleep, and yet it felt a lot longer.

**"Your mind is a mess."** Said Zeruel, **"Every thought bleeds into the next within a fraction of a second, like mental white noise."**

'Well, I've got a lot to think about.' Shinji thought, 'A lot's happened in the past few... years.'

**"I suggest you fix it immediately." **The Angel replied, **"Your subconscious is like being surrounded by four different echo chambers."**

The former pilot rolled his eyes. 'I can't control my subconscious.'

**"You could at least think about something different for a change. You've been dwelling on the same things for weeks."**

'That's because I always have the same problem.'

**"Not always." **Zeruel reminded him, **"There is one thing thought that's been haunting you recently, more than any other."** Shinji clung to the futon. He knew where the Angel was taking this. **"Time and again, your thoughts turn to your copy."**

'What if they do?' Shinji thought, dismissively.

**"All of your fears and worries tie back to the one that calls himself Akio. You are a fool if you deny it."**

'Fine.' Shinji thought, 'Yes, I'm worried about him. We still don't know if he survived or not, and I have no idea what I'll do if he comes back.'

**"There is more." **The entity said, **"One word, above all others, echoes constantly in the back of your head: 'Brother'."**

'I'm not stupid.' The boy replied, 'I know he's not really my sibling. But seeing him made me wonder. What if I'm not the first Shinji? Am I really a human being, or just another of Dad's inventions? Am I even... real?' He stared at his hands, as if searching his palms for some kind of cosmic answer.

**"You truly are a fool."** said Zeruel,** "What you say is nought but delusional paranoia, the likes of which is abnormal, even among your kin." **The Angel spoke in a chiding tone, reminiscent of his Father. **"You are (or were) one of the Lilin. This much I know for certain. The doppelganger is something different: he bares more in common with the blue haired female. He is a man-made combination of your DNA and that of Tabris."**

'Tabris?'

Zeruel paused to explain. **"The one you called Kaworu." **It said, **"The Angel of free will seemed a fitting name for him."**

The boy sighed as he laid in bed, pondering his past. Every time it felt like he might be able to move past Kaworu's death, something else reminded him of the friend who died at his hands. He tried to think of what Nagisa would say if he were with him still. He tried to imagine his friend comforting him, promising him that all would be fine. But the past few months had turned his own mind against him, and this imagined reunion always ended the same way. "Murderer." The boy would call him for, in Shinji's mind, he was. It didn't matter if he knew what he was doing, or what his intentions were. All that mattered, to him at least, was that countless men, women and children had died because of him. It was, as Kaworu said, his great sin: a sin that weighed on his mind like a steel boulder. It was an unbreakable chain, for which no key could be forged.

Quietly, the boy opened the closet door and snuck over to the bathroom. The night was unusually short, another side effect of the Post Impact world's unpredictable climate. The long of burning sunlight had turned the Wunder into a giant, flying cauldron. In a way, this heat gave him a sense of nostalgia, and he found himself looking back on the long summer nights he spent at Misato's place. But that only made it worse. There was no joy or warmth left in his former guardian. Touji was dead, Kensukr was seldom around, even the penguin had died, or so he assumed.

The boy splashed cold water on his face. Not enough. Even for someone who lived in the endless summer before Third Impact, this was a really hot November evening. Perhaps a cold shower would help. Cool liquid poured onto him, washing away the awful heat as he pondered his situation. He couldn't deny, things were looking up since the Unit-13 incident. Sure, he'd gone through hell and lost some good friends along the way but on the other hand, the UN let him off with a slap on the wrist, Asuka at least tolerated him again, Mari was exceedingly... friendly, and WILLE had even given him a new purpose. But the more he thought about it, the more his mind turned to darker places. Things were improving in the short term, but he worried about his future. Not only was Akio on the loose, but his father now had an awakened Evangelion at his disposal, and he had Shinji to thank for it. Units 02 and 08 had taken severe damage, again partly thanks to him. No matyer how he looked at it, he couldn't see this ending. In every scenario he imagined NERV would win, and it would be his fault.

He sighed as he turned the tap, shutting off the water. 'Look at me." He thought, 'I'm pathetic, standing here, moping like a child.' Droplets of water splattered against the floor, falling from his long, brown hair. He let it grow out during his time in Elysium. There weren't any barbers in the slums, so it was easier to just wear his long. But the more he looked at it, the more it reminded him of his false identity. Kenji Rokubungi. It started off as just a cover, born out of fear, but, in time, it had taken on a life of its own; it became another means of escape. Kenji was a hero, a rebel, a decent person, someone who made people's lives better, instead of worse. Kenji was the person he tried to be; the person he wasn't.

For all his attempts to free the smallfolk of Elysium, all he'd done was hurt them. His new friends had been imprisoned, starved, beaten, all because of his foolishness. Just another thing to add to the endless list of things to hate about himself.

By the time he left the bathroom, the girls had woken up. A horrid, digital screech echoed through the room, cutting right through his nervous system. Who in God's name would want to wake up to that? He stepped out into the main room, where the girls were waiting for him.

"Morning, Puppy Boy!" Said Mari, who was lounging on the bed in little more than her underwear. "Sleep well?"

Shinji turned away in a flash, his cheeks bright red. "Um, yeah!" He lied, "Yeah I slept great."

He half expected Asuka to slap him for catching them like this, yet she seemed pretty non-plussed. She was wearing a white night dress with red trim. She must have kept it from their time living with Misato. "You cut your hair." She said, listlessly rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Yeah." Shinji said, ruffling his fringe. "It um... it wasn't me."

"You did kinda look like a girl." Mari teased.

Asuka couldn't believe he found a way to make that bedhead look worse. He was no hairdresser, that went without saying, and he'd had to cut his hair with one hand. "You could have asked someone else to cut it." She told him, "You look like a mess."

"I didn't think of that." The boy said, "It was kind off a spur-of-the-moment thing."

Asuka sighed at his impulsiveness. Still, at least this time his stupidity didn't get anyone hurt. "I'll give you a proper haircut after training." She said.

Mari sniggered at the proposition. "Ooooh, intimate." She snarked, much to Asuka's embarrassment. "You think that'll make a good first date, Puppy Boy?"

"Yeah..." Shinji said, absent-mindedly, "I mean no- I mean... what was the question?"

"You sure you slept well?" Asuka asked, getting up in his face to take a closer look, "You look like you're about to drop."

"No..." Shinji admitted, "No, I didn't sleep at all."

"Aww, something on your mind, Puppy?"

"Kinda..." He replied. His hand balled into a fist, clenching tight until a shock of pain ran up his broken arm.

"It's the wannabe, isn't it?" Asuka saw through his body language like a screen door.

"Yeah." Shinji replied, "Ever since that day, I can't stop thinking about him. I keep worrying he's gonna come back for me, when I least expect it." His body began to shake. "He... he's gonna take me back to NERV." He said, "They're gonna make me do... horrible things..."

He felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Mari. "We're not gonna let that happen, Shinji." She told him, "Me and Asuka are here to help you. If that asshole comes back, we'll be ready for him." Shinji was bewildered. He didn't think he'd ever seen her this serious before.

"Yeah." Asuka said, "There's no way some cut-rate petri-dish-kid is gonna get past me and Four Eyes." She was a lot less confident, and it showed. Her skill and experience made her a match for the untrained Shinji, despite his abnormal strength but Akio was the best of both worlds, combining super strength with advanced martial arts programmed into his mind. Even with Mari backing her up, she didn't know if she could beat him. Still, her bluff seemed to work, as Shinji offered her a weak smile.

"Thank you both." He said, looking misty, "I'm glad I have you girls on my side." The boy's experience ls left him extremely fragile, to the point he might cry at the drop of a hat, but Asuka couldn't be annoyed at him. Anyone would be scared in that situation, except her of course.

"We can worry about that later." Asuka said, taking her suit out of the wardrobe, "For now, we'd better get to work."

Shinji looked away as they changed into their plugsuits. He learned the hard way not to peep on Asuka, even by accident. The suits weren't that much better, really. The material was so tight they might as well have been naked, and the new designs resembled gymnast clothes of all things. It didn't help that Mari liked to play it up, just to provoke a reaction. He wondered how he'd handle living with two girls who dressed like that near constantly but, at the very least, it took his mind off Akio for a moment.

Sakura arrived shortly after, taking him to the labs in dead silence. He wanted to say something to her: an apology, a bit of smalltalk, anything. But every time he opened his mouth, the words died in his throat. He was too afraid. What if he pissed her off, and she tore into him again? Better to just stay quiet, and stay out of trouble.

Work was quiet that day. He couldn't do much heavy lifting with his arm broken, so he spent most of his time in Ritsuko's office, sorting through her paperwork. The shift was dull as hell, and uncomfortable to boot. The doctor was working with Maya for most of the day, and she was not the friendliest of people. He didn't know if it was him, or the state of the world, but there was something cold about her. Back in NERV, she was a warm, approachable woman. Now, she was strict, and no-nonsense. The way she carried herself, she could have been a drill sergeant. The boy had questions for Ritsuko, some of which had been bothering him for days, but he didn't feel comfortable asking them. Not when Ibuki was in the room.

"Maya?" The doctor asked, "Could you do me a favour and deliver these to the captain?" She handed the lieutenant commander a stack of papers.

"Alright." Ibuki said, "But after that I'm needed back on deck."

"Understood." Ritsuko said as Maya left the room. She waited patiently as the sound of footsteps faded away, before she spoke again. "Something on your mind?" She asked as Shinji sorted through his own stack of files.

"Yeah..." Shinji said, "I've been sorting through the reports coming out of Lab 21, and I couldn't help wondering..."

"About what?" The doctor asked.

Shinji fidgeted slightly in his seat. He had to phrase this carefully, or he might get himself in trouble. "Are you making, you know... another one?" He kept his language vague, but the message was clear.

Ritsuko regarded the boy suspiciously. "What makes you think that?"

Shinji scratched his head, nervously, as he explained. "When I'm sorting through these papers," I said, "I keep noticing the same terms popping up, over and over again. It's all in jargon, so I can't understand most of it, but every now and then I'll see something that looks familiar, or I'll get an idea of what certain words and phrases mean. The first big clue was this" He showed her one of the files, and pointed to a single acronym. "N3I." He said, "It sounded familiar, but I wasn't sure what it meant, until I noticed this: 'BM-03'. That's what Lt Suzuhara called me when you pulled me out of Unit-01. Those two acronyms appear together constantly. I put two and two together, and figured out what N3I means: Near Third Impact. There's only one thing I know of that can start an Impact."

"An interesting hypothesis." Said the Vice Captain, "But that's a big assumption based on very little evidence."

"That's not all." Said Shinji, "After that I started picking up little things here and there: mentions of a DP system, depth and SR, and how it important it is for that the SR doesn't go over 300%. Then there's that one file you sent me looking for: TE-027. It mentions switching from two DPs, to a pair human subjects. It also talks a lot about Subject 2 and Subject 7. i didn't know what that meant until I sorted through a later file, which stops mentioning Subject 7, and instead brings up something called Subject 8." The doctor stared a hole through him as he spoke. "So: you're hoping to switch from Dummy Plugs to human pilots but you have to make sure the Synch Ratio doesn't exceed 300%, or it might cause a Near 3rd Impact. And that's when I realised what "TE-027" means: "Twin Entry-Unit-02 Unit-07". At some point, there was a Unit-07 involved. You were trying to mix it with Unit-02 but something went wrong, so you switched to Unit-08 instead. That's why you're making Asuka and Miss Makinami train together, and performing daily sync tests."

On the outside, Ritsuko remained unflappable but, on the inside, she was stunned. She knew someone had to figure it out eventually. In fact, she'd given Shinji the job because she knew she could trust him to keep his mouth shut. But she never expected him to crack the case this soon. The boy could be clever, when he applied himself. The doctor smiled at him. "I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to divulge information regarding the experiments in Lab 21." She said. "I'm sure you understand."

"Oh," the boy said, "Right. Of course." He was just about to go back to his work, when an idea struck him. "Doctor Akagi?" He said, "If, hypothetically, I'm right about Asuka and Makinami, do you think I could, you know, make a suggestion?"

* * *

Locks of hair fell from Shinji's crown, decorating the floor with little patches of brown as Asuka's scissors snipped away at the scraggy mess. She wasn't an expert stylist or anything, but she had learned to cut her own hair over the years. By comparison, doing it for Shinji was a piece of cake."Hold still!" She snapped, yanking his head back into place. "If you keep moving around you're gonna get cut."

"Sorry." He said, "It's kinda hard to sit still for so long."

"It's been ten minutes!" Asuka chided, "Don't be such a baby!"

"Right, sorry." That wasn't the real reason. In truth, he had difficulty trusting her. Deep down he knew that he was safe around Asuka, but there was a deeper, primal part of his mind that feared for his safety. No matter how much he wanted to forgive and forget, the fact remained that the girl behind him was 1: someone who, until recently, had been extremely hostile toward him and 2: holding a very sharp object. Neither of these hings were easily forgotten, and even then the subconscious has a way of remembering what the conscious mind doesn't. But, he did his best to hold still, reminding himself that the girl with the scissors was his friend. Clumps of hair littered the floor as he waited for Asuka to finish. Nervous as he was, he had to admit the experience was strangely intimate. Not only was his new roommate extremely close to him; close enough to feel the heat from her body, but he was putting his trust in her. True, it was a little awkward, but he'd rather let Asuka do this than anyone else on board.

"There," Asuka said, showing the boy his reflection in the mirror, 'What do you think?'

Shinji stared into the mirror. The long hair he'd grown used to was replaced with the same plain haircut he'd worn for most of his life. What he saw, looking back at him, was many things. But it was not Kenji Rokubungj. "I look, like me." He said.

Mari witheld a snicker. "Mind like a razor this one." She said, "Can't deny though, it does suit you." She was right. The style fit him perfectly.

There was a knock at the door. "Come in." Said Asuka, and a pair of WILLE soldiers came into the room, carrying a long, rectangular package. "What is this? I didn't request anything."

"This is from the Vice-Captain." Said one of the men. "Says you and Makinami are to practise it together, every night after sync training." They unwrapped the brown packing paper, and Shinji was amazed. The doctor had actually listened to him.

"Seriously?" Asuka scoffed, "A keyboard?"


End file.
